City Police Officer Shafiq Abdussabur (pictured at left) packed his briefcase and took his community policing message to Hartford as part of a multi-pronged New Haven push at the state Capitol for help with its youth violence initiatives.
He testified Tuesday on behalf of a bill that could send money to New Haven for youth and community-policing programs. It was one of two pitches he made to lawmakers in a single day, the second one that night back home in New Haven.
Abdussabur, the city-beat-cop-turned leader for at-risk youth, earned citywide acclaim for his CTRIBAT summer program, which kept young teens out of trouble and gave them alternatives to street life. Now, as part of the mayor’s new crime-fighting package, Abdussabur has been appointed coordinator of the city’s proposed Street Outreach Workers Program, a grassroots effort to mentor at-risk kids.
Leaning against a wall as legislators marched across the grand, sunlit lobby of the Legislative Offices Building in Hartford Tuesday, Abdussabur outlined the program: Two full-time community police officers and full-time street outreach workers would form a team of mentors for youth at risk of getting sucked into violent turf wars.
“The intent behind the outreach workers is to lift the veil of anonymity of the poorest, most troubled [and] underrepresented teens and young adults.”¬ù
Workers, who would be grassroots folks familiar with the city’s roughest neighborhoods, would walk the streets at night, attend high school basketball games, and be there when school lets out to diffuse any disputes.
They’d be trained in conflict mediation. Departing from the traditional role of police officers, the outreach workers would act as a resource, directing kids to mental help, job training, or helping them with family situations.
“The beautiful thing about this program is it’s a proactive approach, not a reactive approach.”¬ù
“Don’t Shoot”
Briefcase in hand, Abdussabur took a seat among a sea of suburban firemen in a hearing room of the Public Safety and Security Committee, a joint committee of the House and Senate. Making his first public appearance at the Capitol, he waited his turn to testify in favor of Senate Bill 709, An Act Promoting Opportunities for Urban Youth.
The bill, co-sponsored by New Haven’s State Sen. Martin Looney, would “expand youth access to summer and out-of-school employment opportunities, job training programs and community-based mentoring and antigang violence prevention programs.”¬ù The proposal also aims to “restore community policing programs and improve connections between public safety leaders and youth.”¬ù
City lobbyist Paul Nu√ɬ±ez (at right) saw the bill and thought: Hey, “our project fits.”¬ù He asked Abdussabur to pitch the Street Outreach Workers Program to the state “” not as a direct request for funds, but to let the state know New Haven was on the same page.
Abdussabur approached the microphone at the hearing room, dressed in full policing attire.
“Don’t shoot me!”¬ù joked state Sen. Tony Guglielmo.
The officer got three minutes to pitch the program. “[It] is not only on the cutting edge of proactive social development,”¬ù but is “currently not found within any public safety department in the U.S.”¬ù
New London’s State Sen. Andrea Stillman, who chairs the committee and co-sponsored the bill, welcomed his thoughts. “I dare say that I think it would be a great opportunity to share your ideas with New London.”¬ù
Nu√ɬ±ez waited for her in the hall. Can we meet? he asked as she rushed up the stairs in full legislative gait. “Yes,”¬ù she called back.
Meanwhile, Nu√ɬ±ez will work with New Haven’s state delegates to try to get the $300,000 to $400,000 needed to run the program. No other money’s in place for the project, but he’s hoping to get a line item in the state budget so funds can be available in July 2007.
Riding the escalator between hearing rooms, Nu√ɬ±ez ushered two other city staffers through what became a multi-pronged lobbying effort Tuesday. Stephanie Barnes and Che Dawson (pictured at top) testified in favor of two bills on youth employment and after-school programs, other key parts of the mayor’s youth initiative.
Yeah yeah doing a dance this morning! Do I feel hope...yes I do!! I am a supporter of the work that Officer Shafiq Abdussabur and the 2 other officers have been doing with there program.
I love the whole proactive approach, it is the best way of helping these kids.
And thank you Paul Nuñez for finding this little nitch that there program can fit in. Now it states we may see funds by summer, If that is the case will they be set up to get it rolling for the summer of 2007? Also I being a resident of Cedar Hill Area (for those that do not no, we are the little corner of streets near the Hess Station on state Street) sooo I have to ask... this will be city wide, right because we have a problem in my area!!! Great young kids being guided by bad bad men! They can fool them selves into thinking they are helping these kids because there parents aren't there for them, but guess what we are watching and you are using these kids!! So with that said PLEASE do not forget my area (has we have been for so long).
And to restore community policing programs! Well that we are working on already right? With hiring the 20 cops that are already in the budget and the other 26 that we are adding to the budget. Plus these funds on top of the million the police asked for .....right??