Contributed Photo
Firefighters and cops recently converged on Kensington Street park — not to put out a blaze or chase crooks. But to hang out.
The departments have agreed to conduct some hour-long joint patrols in neighborhood spots where kids gather, as part of the city’s ongoing effort to stem youth violence by having responsible adults be more visible and reach out to them.
Paul Bass Photo
The plan is to have a firefighter join a cop in one neighborhood public spot, around 4:30 p.m. and the again around 6:30 p.m., Fire Chief Allyn Wright (pictured) said a press conference on the Green Monday afternoon. Recent spots have included Goffe Street Park, the playground at Shelton and Ivy, South Genessee Park, Criscuolo Park, and Kensington Street’s park.
“New Haven’s Finest and New Haven’s Bravest” will “stand should to shoulder,” said Police Chief Dean Esserman.
Police union President Louis Cavaliere Jr. said his local has filed a grievance with the state labor board over the new plan. He argued that the city should have negotiated the plan with the union first. “It seems like they created a position without anybody knowing about it. I had to find out about it from a press conference. That’s unacceptable,” Cavaliere said. “That’s Labor 101. It was a slap in the face.”
“Putting a firefighter with them — it’s definitely a safety problem,” Cavaliere argued. “You’re taking a cop from that beat and replacing him with an inexperienced firefighter. We don’t do their job. And they don’t do ours. It’s not time for show and tell. We’re at a fast-paced job.”
“With all due respect to the concerns expressed by Mr. Cavaliere, there has been no new position nor safety problem created by this pilot program,” responded mayoral spokesman Laurence Grotheer. “The city looks forward to working with all parties to address his concerns should a decision be made about making this program more permanent.”
Firefighters union President Jimmy Kottage showed up at Monday’s press conference, standing back at a distance to listen. He said he hadn’t heard about the plan, so he had no comment yet.
Mayor Toni Harp called the new joint patrols the latest in a series of measures her administration has taken in the wake of the recent murders of two teens. Other measures have included:
• Keeping schools open during the April vacation, with activities and meals.
• Starting My Brother’s Keeper, a program linking cops, educators, and other responsible adults with some of the most at-risk young people in New Haven.
• Holding a citywide canvas to find out which families need help with teens in trouble.
• Launching a weekly “Youth Stat” meeting with school, probation, police, and fire officials to track and plan strategies for dealing with the cases of at-risk kids.
The patrols aren’t guaranteed each day. Officers will sometimes be pulled away to respond to calls. For instance, Monday afternoon a joint patrol was planned for Murray Lender Playground behind John C. Daniels School on Baldwin Street (where the Lender family baked bagels beginning in 1929 on th their way to becoming a household name). Then a shooting took place across town on Sherman Avenue, a 4 year-old was found wandering alone by Ella Grasso Boulevard (he was unharmed) and police officers were needed elsewhere. An adult watching the kids at the playground at 4:45 p.m. said he had seen some firefighters assemble up the block around 4 p.m., but they hadn’t stopped by the playground
is that Youth Services Director Jason Bartlett holding the microphone?