Rebounding from a year of startling youth violence, Mayor John DeStefano announced a host of crime initiatives in a major speech Thursday, focusing on truant youth, shutting down crime-ridden night spots, and stopping the flow of guns.
The announcements came at the annual report of crime statistics. Contrary to the feeling around town, crime actually dropped this year: Overall crime was down 7 percent, due mostly to a crackdown on auto and license plate theft. Domestic violence is down 9 percent.
Click here to read the report.
Cllick here to watch footage of the press conference shot by Tom Ficklin.
The number of non-fatal shootings fell from 126 to 111. But homicides spiked dramatically, from 15 to 24. The worrisome aspect remains youth “” younger and younger kids are getting involved with guns, as victims and shooters.
For example, the number of victims of homicides and shootings under 15 years old spiked, from six victims in 2005 to 13 in 2006. So, too, shooting suspects are getting younger.
DeStefano and crew identified two groups in need of new solutions: Truant youth and older repeat offenders. “There’s a younger group coming up with a strong correlation to truancy, and an older group that are victimizing each other over and over and over.”
Pegging truancy as the biggest predictor for kids getting involved with guns, the mayor announced truancy officers, who work for the Board of Education, would launch an aggressive campaign to contact the parents of each kid who misses school. Instead of placing a call at the kids’ homes, truancy officers will now change hours to visit families at home at night.
For the 95 percent of kids who don’t fall into that group, DeStefano called for opening after-school programs for all middle-schoolers; expanding after-school program hours to 7 p.m. for nearly half the city; and expanding job and job prep programs to reach 5,000 teens.
The older group, “hardened criminals” involved in turf wars over territory, respect and women, will be targeted through a Street Outreach Worker Program in partnership with the NAACP, and an attempt to create a cease-fire between warring neighborhoods.
A major difficulty in tackling turf-war crime, with so many victims becoming shooters and vice versa, is getting the victims to talk, said DeStefano.
“Often, they don’t want to talk to us.” The mayor proposed lobbying the state for permission to use a grand jury to compel witness testimony.
Repeat offenders will be targeted through a clampdown on gun crime, including higher bonds for gun crime, federal prosecution for felony gun arrests (meaning more prison time, out of state), and a partnership with prosecutors to speed up the court process for gun-related crime.
Hot Spots
Bars like the Owl’s Nest, known for attracting late-night gunshots, need to be shut down, said DeStefano, pulling up a slide of five of the city’s most crime-spawning night spots. The list included Jack’s or Better (over 100 police calls in 2006), Cardinal’s Caf√© (about 50 calls) and Taurus Caf√© and Newt Caf√©, all of which have been the location of shootings this past year.
DeStefano said a team of city lobbyists were in Hartford Thursday pushing to rescind Taurus Caf√©‘s liquor license, thus shutting it down.
“You can’t allow businesses to simply not be good neighbors,” said Chief Cisco Ortiz, backing the mayor’s suggestion that all five bars be shut down. “We’re seeing an apathetic approach [on behalf of the owners]” to helping stop crime.
Ortiz was optimistic about the promised slew of new recruits “” 45 new cops to hit the street in December, and 45 more the following year. The proposal would give the city the biggest municipal force in the state, and would fill “every walking beat ever invented” in the city, for a pledged return to community policing.
As part of the revived pledge to commit to community policing, the PD will engage in roundtable discussions with local clergy and activists, many of whom filled a room at headquarters Thursday.
I have to say one thing Chief Perez there maybe hope for you yet. We as a group were impressed with some of the things that were said the other night. Now weather they are going to happen only time will tell. The whole Truancy idea Bravo I think it is going to help but like the women behind me said don't forget the kids that are expelled and suspended to. The in school suspension great idea. Working with the parents I still insist that my idea about having classes for this like DVS has for men who hurt women is a great idea. Child neglect is against the law, even if the reason is economic and the parent is working a lot many parents (including me a single mom) work 2 jobs and still manage to have a handle on there children. Teach them the skills if they don't have them.
The officers from dixwell have the right program for that five percent they are on to something and I hope that it is a program that can expand city wide! My other favorite moment is when someone mentioned the rude and unhelpful staff that answers the phone at the police dept. (that to got a round of applause) And I am sure they will be fixing that now (at least I hope).
These are a lot of positive numbers and they make no sense to the people who are from the communities that are troubled; because we are not seeing a drop we are seeing a climb. Maybe we have just stopped calling and reporting because it is not going to get a cop to come anyway. They explain some legal things (red tape stuff that prevents certain things from happening that need to be changed).
The mayor talked about the powers that be working together Schools, Dept of Families Services and Yale child studies and a few others. He was right he really seems to have some things changing and I would loves to see the numbers next year.
All and all it was hope. There were few other idea they talked about that I really hope come to light but they seemed to be things still in the works. But the Truancy and guns are a start
All and all I the most cynical person I know besides one of my fellow block watchers walked out of that meeting feeling like they may be finally getting it. They had so many great ideas that they are going to be working on. I pray it all happens.