New Haven Independent

Posted by: streever | January 7, 2010 12:21 PM

A dead end?

Doesn't Howe street have cameras?

Maybe I'm spoiled by reading about detective work, but there are cameras in the area. The errors on the police report & the fact that no one from NHPD called him to ask follow-up questions is inexcusable.

I think some officers simply don't think hit & runs are worth their time and don't bother to do the upfront work.

A friend of mine was hit by a large green pickup truck on whalley--hit & run--the police did not investigate, despite the fact that a large green pickup truck with a bike shaped dent shouldn't be impossible to find.

In Branford they take hit & run seriously and pull security footage from surrounding businesses in order to find the perp. This vehicle drove by several banks, security cameras on howe, and gast stations and the police don't even know which road he took because the officer got it wrong?

Sounds really awful to me. If I were Alvarado I would be looking into a lawsuit to recoup some of his horrific losses.

I'm not having some CSI fantasy--I'm just thinking about what surrounding suburbs do. They pull footage from nearby security cameras.

when I've brought this up with some NHPD, I've been told "this isn't CSI" and "we have real crimes to investigate"--until the force either realizes that they do have forensic resources at their disposal/values catching hit & run drivers.

The lack of result is inexcusable--

Posted by: To the author | January 7, 2010 12:58 PM

Sir, I understand that the uncle is frustrated, but why do you choose to repeatedly note his statements against the police? The victim here is an adult, and based on your article, is doesn't appear that he's mentally incapacitated, meaning that he's in charge of his own affairs, also meaning that the uncle does not need to be informed of anything by the police. And as an adult, let alone a journalist, one would think that the author would understand that, instead of going ahead and publishing one mans misinformed claims of police misconduct. What is with this publication and it's anti police attitude?

Posted by: steve ross, human | January 7, 2010 1:29 PM

"What is with this publication and it's anti police attitude?"

To TO THE AUTHOR:
You may not think that this story merits media investigation, but I do. There's one reason for having the uncle's comments published.

Don't confuse an anti-bad-policing stance with an anti-police stance, whether it's an uncle's perception or a paper's bias.

Posted by: Wicked Lester | January 7, 2010 3:53 PM

"What is with this publication and it's anti police attitude?"

This publication frequently runs a "Cop of The Week" feature.

Posted by: anon | January 7, 2010 4:05 PM

Yes, if the Mayor or President of Yale had been hit in this way, the investigation would most likely be ongoing and camera footage would have been pulled from the entire city.

However, with the level of pedestrian activity in downtown New Haven, SUVs should not be "barreling" down streets in the first place. Investigative, emergency response, health care and insurance costs for these types of (very common) crashes are extremely high.

From a conservative taxpayer's perspective, it is much more economically cost-effective if speeds are strictly limited in such areas, and pedestrian travel prioritized. Look at the center of just about any European town or city for examples of how to do this.

Several pedestrians have been killed in Downtown New Haven just in the past 10 months.

How many more have to be killed and injured every year before we reverse our misguided 1950s traffic engineers' policies and make Downtown New Haven a livable, vibrant place again?

Posted by: Retired | January 7, 2010 5:23 PM

I have been retired almost 11 years now, from New Haven, and now work at the public defenders office, and I have to say I never tire of the peoples perception of police work.

Just to clear up some things, to begin with, there are no other business at that corner, besides an Indian rest. and I doubt they have 24hr. surveillance camaras. These guys and gals that work the midnight shift get slammed with calls from the time they start to the time they go home, this is New Haven, and not Branford were the calls of service are almost unheard of.

The calls of service from serious domestics to shootings, rape, and other violent crimes are constent and this is just about every night, so when would you find the time to fully investiagte a hit and run, with no other information other then a truck?

If your so fond of the way smaller towns like Branford investiagte crimes maybe a move is in order, or maybe you could turn off C.S.I. and take the test and make a difference other then blogging about how Cops don't do there jobs in New Haven.

I know the truth and saw the hard work and sacrifices these men and woman did first hand, lots of respect C-Squad.

Posted by: STEVE ANDERSON | January 8, 2010 7:52 AM

Its terrible what happened to mr Alvarado reminds
me of june 2008 when the little girl was killed
on Whalley Ave at the laundry mat. A dead end case
again....

Posted by: William Kurtz | January 8, 2010 11:07 AM

Retired,

I don't think anyone discounts the difficult job the police have to do, but I also think many of us would categorize a hit-and-run as a 'violent crime' and therefore as worthy of a full investigation as any other. The victims are just as injured.

Posted by: Retired | January 8, 2010 3:04 PM

William

I never said that the crime was not violent, what I'm pointing out is that there were no eyewitnesses to the crime but Mr. Avarado and his girlfriend, all they saw was the flash of a truck, there are no cameras on the Howe St. side of this intersection, there is a group home at 100 Broadway which faces the side where the accident occured and an Indian restaurant.

It is unfortuante but here is the reality that escapes alot of people, sometimes crimes go unsolved. With no new information what do have to go on?. You also have to take into consideration that these people (cops), get inundated with calls all night, if you haven't relaized this is a very busy city and there is very little down time.

So if you want to see for yourself how tough the job is, consider calling the Chiefs office and requesting a ride along, sign a waiver andd see for yourself.

Posted by: Bike New Haven | January 8, 2010 3:53 PM

Retired,

How is this any different from "serious domestics to shootings, rape, and other violent crimes"???

The victim might as well have been beaten with a bat and left for dead. What's the difference? Are you saying a violent assault doesn't require serious investigation?

Posted by: streever | January 8, 2010 10:05 PM

Retired,

you clearly don't see this as a serious crime, which is the issue. A man is unable to work, potentially for over a year. He can't earn a living. This man has 2 young sons who depend on him.

If you read my comment completely (sorry, it is not a blog it is a comment) you would see that actually Howe DOES have cameras--very contentious cameras--put in place. They are tied to the Chapel West Group.

It's disappointing that a recently retired cop would dismiss actual facts out of a mis-guided loyalty. Look, I know, personally, many of the officers on the force and think that on the whole we have a GREAT police force. I've defended their names many times & pointed out the fantastic work they do.

To be torn apart and dismissed and told I should move because I point out a clear double-standard (one you also use in your comments) is disappointing.

In the future I think you should be careful when reading someone's viewpoint instead of rushing to attack them--you'd see that there is substance and fact behind it.

It is inexcusable that the police had no idea which way the vehicle went despite being told, and that they invested 0 time in pulling security cameras on Howe (which exist) and looking into the security cameras on broadway/elm (which also exist--almost every yale building on that street has exterior cameras)

The reality is there are cameras all over the city, and if someone is hit in a hit & run, you should pull the cameras in the surrounding area.

For the record I've never watched CSI, but apparently people on it know how to watch videos. Truly amazing, the premise behind science fiction!

Posted by: streever | January 8, 2010 10:09 PM

And FYI retired, I do devote an inordinante amount of time to making a difference--and I don't pass judgment on people I don't know--I can honestly say I do understand this situation, more so then you. You prove with your comment (where you state that police have to deal with violent crimes so they can't investigate hit & runs--which apparently are not violent, even though this man was physically handicapped by one) that you don't value people injured in hit & runs. I'm not surprised, I've heard that sentiment from many, many police officers--even those that I respect and who I genuinely believe are good people.

This isn't an anti-police rally, this is just a call to action, for police to value hit & run accidents as being as important as assaults. You know they take down descriptions and look for the guilty party in those. So why not take down the car and look for it? Assign an intern to review the yale security footage cameras which literally line that block, the bank security cameras, the Chapel West security cameras, and look for a grey SUV within 10 minutes of the accident.

Posted by: Retired | January 8, 2010 11:46 PM

Bike New Haven

What???, is that what you got from what I wrote, because if it is, maybe your reading to much into it. I never wrote nor implied that any violent crime was more henious then the next, where are you reading that?

Bottom line is that some crimes hit a wall, and without further information, there is no where else to go, it's common sense.