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Cleavage, Tardy Checks Prompt Union Vote
by Melissa Bailey | Sep 1, 2010 2:05 pm
(32) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author
Posted to: Legal Writes
(Updated 7:15 a.m. with chief’s written statement.) Unhappy with the Chicago crew that took over the department, the police union is planning a no confidence vote against the new chief.
Sgt. Louis Cavaliere, president of the city police union, said Wednesday that he expects a proposal to be introduced at a Sept. 15 union meeting asking for a vote of no confidence in Chief Frank Limon. The union would then schedule a ballot vote at a later date, where the union rank and file can make a public statement on whether they support the chief.
The rank and file is rankled by, among other decisions, management reviews of how much cleavage female officers reveal while in uniform and on how promptly senior officers must arrive to daily crime-statistics meetings, according to the union president.
The union move comes five months after Limon came to New Haven from Chicago to take the police chief job. Cavaliere said in those months, the union has filed 41 grievances against the administration on a range of issues, including new changes to the police dress code. By contract, Limon has 10 days to respond to grievances; almost all of them have gone unanswered, he said.
At first Wednesday Limon referred comment for this story to mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga. “At this time, he has no comment,” she said. “If this vote does take place, he will respond with a statement.”
At 9:47 p.m. Wednesday Mayorga released a one-paragraph written statement from Limon with no responses tot he specific concerns raised by the union: ““I understand that change is stressful. I am mindful that Officers may have concerns and questions about the strategies that are being implemented and there will be opportunities to address these issues in the near future. I look forward to working with the members of the Department to bring about change that will make New Haven safer and at the same time to work together to create a police department that will be a professional and progressive working environment.”
Behind the scenes, Mayor John DeStefano has stepped into the fray, meeting last week with the union executive board over lunch at Anastasio’s on Wooster Street, then conveying their concerns directly to the chief.
“It’s new team in police management. You’ve got police union leadership that goes back to Billy Farrell, six chiefs. They’ve seen chiefs come and go. I think Chief Limon’s trying to do some things. They’re trying to figure out how to deal with one another,” DeStefano said Wednesday. “A lot of it has to do with developing interpersonal relationships and respect for one another.
“Without replying to another specific, I think the union does have insights at time that the chief ought to pay attention to. Sometimes they have insights that the chief ought not to pay attention to. I think largely at this point it’s about learning to communicate with each other.”
High-Ranking Heat
Cavaliere said he has heard from 100 police officers over the last month who are unhappy with the leadership of the new chief as well as the two new assistant chiefs Limon brought with him from Chicago, Thomas Wheeler and Tobin Hensgen.
Complaints are coming from high-ranking supervisors, not just patrol cops, Cavaliere said. He said the displeasure stems not from a single issue, but rather general lack of competence.
“Their leadership ability and their managerial skills leave a lot to be desired,” he said of the three new top cops from Chicago.
Cavaliere cited several new policies police are not happy with.
Assistant Chief Thomas Wheeler, who runs the detective division, announced a new policy in July that all detectives have to wear a suit and tie on the job—even if they’re called to a homicide at 3 a.m. In another recent directive, Wheeler issued a written memo ordering female detectives not to expose cleavage, Cavaliere said.
Cavaliere said the policy was apparently prompted by one detective who dressed improperly one day. Management should have dealt with that person directly instead of issuing a memo, he said.
“Females were irate about it,” Cavaliere said. “Now you have to have your chest inspected every day at lineup. That’s insulting.”
In another recent change, Wheeler has imposed a strict punctuality rule at 10 a.m. TASCA meetings, where top cops analyze crime data. One Yale sergeant showed up early to the meeting, then went to the restroom and came back at 10:02 a.m. to find the doors locked, according to Cavaliere. The sergeant had to wait outside for two hours before he could retrieve his belongings, Cavaliere said.
Cavaliere said the people who attend TASCA meetings are top supervisors, including district managers who may have to be a couple minutes late if they are dealing with important business in their neighborhoods. To penalize them in this way doesn’t make sense, he argued.
“We’re not children. We’re professionals. We’re management. That is unprofessional, the way he did it,” Cavaliere said.
“They shouldn’t be late,” replied Wheeler Wednesday about the TASCA policy. He referred further comment to Limon.
Other police officers have complained that Limon hasn’t been enough of a presence around town.
Cavaliere said the new managers have sunk spirits in the police department.
“It took [former] Chief [James] Lewis 18 months to take this department out of the cellar” after a bribery and theft scandal landed several narcotics cops in jail, Cavaliere said. “He brought this department up in morale.”
“What [Limon’s] administration has done in a short time is bring us back down in the cellar as far as morale goes,” Cavaliere said.
“There’s something drastically wrong in that department,” he said.
Cavaliere said he expects the issue to come up at the union’s next regularly scheduled meeting, on Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Marchegian Club at 226 Cedar St. Cavaliere said the union is supporting a vote of no confidence, but he expects the issue to be raised by someone in the rank and file, not the union’s executive leadership. He expects rank and file police to introduce a motion calling for a vote of no confidence. If approved by the people at that meeting, the union would schedule an election day, where officers could cast ballots all day on the issue.
Cavaliere, who’s been union president for decades, said he recalled passing votes of no confidence on three previous chiefs: Edward Morrone, Nick Pastore and Francisco Ortiz. Such a vote isn’t binding.
If approved, Cavaliere said, a vote of no confidence would send a message to the chief, the mayor and police commission that they “need to address a serious morale issue.”
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Comments
posted by: JAK on September 1, 2010 2:29pm
You know, I was wondering how the new chief was doing. And now this article answers all my questions. Clearly he is doing GREEEAT!
As to the grievances, an old air force bombardier once said “I know that I must be flying over the target when I start catching all the flak”.
Maybe after issuing a vote of “No Confidence”, Cavalier will nominate the “Rowdy Rookie” to be the new chief instead!
Chief Limon, the union couldn’t give you a better gift than the vote of “No Confidence”. Congratulations on setting the right tone.
posted by: Swatty on September 1, 2010 2:36pm
The rank and file is rankled by, among other decisions, management reviews of how much cleavage female officers reveal while in uniform and on how promptly senior officers must arrive to daily crime-statistics meetings, according to the union president.
!!!
You are kidding me! If I read this right Sgt. Louis Cavaliere is asking for a pass on how much cleavage is possible and also to allow people to come to a meeting whenever it fits their time frame! Obviously there is something in the dress code about how much can be shown and some people are breaking the rules!
Please. I vote a no confidence vote for St. Louis!
...
If you are a manager than manage your time more wisely!
No excuses. I’m embarrassed to read the New Haven Police Union are responding this way.
posted by: webblog1 on September 1, 2010 2:46pm
“Cavaliere, who’s been union president for decades”
Maybe the problem is Cavaliere who continues to lead the troops into battle with management over the most menial, trivial supervisory initiatives, which are rightly managements prerogative.
I see nothing in Cavaliers grievance examples that should trigger a vote of no confidence, or even a meeting for this purpose.
Cavaliere should come from behind that desk and chair, which bears his career history, and come out into the real world of the mean streets.
Perhaps by leading by example the “sunk spirits” will rise without his desktop wrangling.
...
posted by: Stop Whining on September 1, 2010 3:33pm
Keep up the good work Chief Limon. If Cavliere and the Union are upset with you, you’re clearly doing something right. ...
posted by: DKR on September 1, 2010 4:04pm
we all knew this would,..however we didn’t expect it to happen as fast as it is. blame this on the big shots at city hall starting at the top with johnny boy. the problem here is that johnny boy and his puppets didn’t like chief lewis, why,..becasue he was a “cop”, out spoken about what worked and what didn’t and not a politician or a puppet. chief lewis wanted his people to fight crime, something we all signed up for by choosing this profession johnny boy didn’t like the fact that chief lewis was proactive and aggressive, a message he sent throught out the department. a message that was receptive by all.
now we have a chief who is hired from the outside and doesn’t even take the time to introduce himself to his “new team” ie: the rank and file. in professional sports when a new manager is hired he introduces himself and addresses himself to everyone. not chief limon. chief lewis took the time to address ALL lineups,.explain himself and what he expected.
in the end, who suffers the most,...the comuunity, the hard working taxpayers and citizens of new haven. perhaps we should make this an open meeting on sept 15th,..open to the public, so they can get a better understanding of the misguided, no direction, no leadership, new haven police department.
thanks johnny….....
posted by: Judith Alpert on September 1, 2010 4:27pm
Well, it sounded to me like the one female cop broke the rule, not all the female officers should be scolded and reminded of being professional and dress so. I agree, deal with the person, don’t make broad brush statements to all. If you know anything about these meetings and have ever been to one which use to allow other folks in other than police, you would know that these high ranking officers are and have always been professional, and were prompt and if late there was a good reason for it. Great, lock someone out because the had to use the bathroom? Come on now, these two assistant cchiefsand the cchiefhimself sound like the three stooges! Man, wish Lewis was back, but my understanding is the mayor agreed to give him freedom to run the department the way he saw fit and eventually the mayor didn’t like that someone else could call the shots and not answer to the mayor. Very typical of the climate with this administration, the mayor, all his hacky people who make very big bucks to roam the halls and try and make people nervous. Gosh, we need such a change in New Haven. Sad our police department is ending up non-productive most likely because of the leadership. We cannot afford for this to happen.
posted by: Alex on September 1, 2010 6:10pm
All this is so typical of New Haven. The city is always hiring people from out of town and out of state for all sorts of positions including chiefs, marketing people and economic experts. Usually they stay a year or two, milk the city, and move on and we are the losers. Hire from within and if you can’t do that it means that you are not developing your personnel properly. You can’t tell me there is not one person in NH or CT who can be a chief?!
posted by: James on September 1, 2010 6:15pm
I think I’ll launch a protest against my boss. He makes me dress appropriately and come in on time too. How dare he! I’m a professional!
Again, Cavaliere goes to the mats at the slightest suggestion that his rank and file act with some dignity. I’m still impressed by his staunch defense of Officer Bandy. he only want’s what’s best for the citizens of New Haven!
posted by: the truth on September 1, 2010 7:18pm
Same old union BS!!! Lunch at Anastasio’s on MY UNION DUES I’m sure. ... Louie, you’ve been here too long it’s time to go. 100 officers? I doubt that. Maybe 100 complaints from the same small group of officers. Thanks for putting our department all over the media outlets so we can be ridiculed again. As if we haven’t had enough of that.
posted by: citysavior on September 1, 2010 9:15pm
its amazing how much some posters here and on the reg’s web site have turned this issue into a vote for bad management. If my cop friends are right chief limon should not be running a MacDonald’s let alone a police department. He always flying off to Chicago leaving wheeler in charge who has not done police work in over five years but is a good politician.He has stumbled implementing general orders that were already done when he arrived he has not moved on many grievances, disciplines which leaves the department open to lawsuits. If the mayor is not embarrassed by his 150 grand chief, then let it be. If he is he should move quickly to get the police department firing on all pistons.
posted by: DKR on September 1, 2010 9:43pm
perhaps the public should also ask johnny boy why the two new asst. chiefs are able to carry a department issued service weapon when they are not certified by p.o.s.t. standards and or do not have a state pistol permit? what would happen if they are involved in something coming to and leaving work??? in the end it would be the city taxpayers footing the bill yet again. this is an issue most of the rank and file have inquired about,..but can’t seem to get a straight answer from all the political puppets in city hall? why is that???
posted by: BISHOP on September 1, 2010 10:20pm
YES, THERE IS SOMETHING DRASTICALLY WRONG WITH THE DEPARTMENT. THERE IS TO MUCH OVERTIME. GREAT, IF TOP OFFICERS CAN’T ARRIVE ON TIME FOR TASCA MEETINGS SEND THEM HOME AND DON’T PAY THEM OVERTIME TO ATTEND.
posted by: l on September 2, 2010 12:07am
And you thought Chicago politics were tough. Welcome to New Haven.
posted by: Concerned Citizen on September 2, 2010 12:29am
“We’re not children. We’re professionals. We’re management. That is unprofessional, the way he did it,” Cavaliere said. This statement tells me something. If Union president Cavaliere has to announce that his top brass are professionals, then just maybe they are not. Most of these complaints and the rush to a vote of no-confidence sound like a bunch of whining schools boys who do not like being held accountable for their conduct.
“It took [former] Chief [James] Lewis 18 months to take this department out of the cellar” after a bribery and theft scandal landed several narcotics cops in jail, Cavaliere said. “He brought this department up in morale.”
“What [Limon’s] administration has done in a short time is bring us back down in the cellar as far as morale goes,” Cavaliere said.
“There’s something drastically wrong in that department,” he said.
Yes, Mr. Cavaliere, there is clearly something wrong. You have a bunch of arrogant senior officers who want to have their own way. Don’t forget, many of these people did not like how former chief Lewis was cleaning up the dept either, but you knew he would be leaving, so you were biding your time. Limon came to stay, so you and your officers are pulling out your sharp instruments. How sad for NH and for the NHPD! Cavaliere needs to hang up his title and let someone who lives in the 21st Century whip the arrogant and lackadaisical NHPD into shape; it’s surely needed. I also hope that mayor DeStefano recognizes that and is being a good leader.
posted by: streever on September 2, 2010 5:49am
Two things:
No one had any complaints about Chief Lewis (except city hall). He was a great cop. It’s too bad we couldn’t make him a serious offer, get him put up somewhere other than the CLUB DISTRICT, and retain him.
Second: Why do we have to always see: “Limon referred comment for this story to mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga.
“At this time, he has no comment,” she said. “If this vote does take place, he will respond with a statement.””
What?
I’m sorry, but the man can’t say that himself? He is incapable of saying, “No comment”? We have to pay the mayor’s spokeswoman to write press releases for NHPS, and say “no comment” for Bill O’Brien and Chief Limon?
This is only because many, many things are wrong at City Hall, and the Mayor can only trust Jessica to not say something stupid (Like Bill O’Brien admitting he lives in another town full time).
The Mayor should ask himself, “Why am I terrified of letting my employees speak?” the answer is that they will accidentally reveal all the wrong things going on.
posted by: skipped on September 2, 2010 6:29am
i think morrone won the vote overwhelmingly. i hope you dont get embarrassed again cavaliere.
posted by: Observation on September 2, 2010 8:20am
It was only a matter of time before Cavaliere went after the new boss, who is Latino. Chief Lewis was one of the boys, he was given the royal treatment, and the benefit of the doubt. But now? Let’s see…the last time Cavaliere was belligerent about the boss and orchestrated a vote of no confidence was when Chief Ortiz was running the shop. Chief Ortiz happens to be…Latino. Gee, if I were a detective I would probably follow that lead.
posted by: roomforaview on September 2, 2010 8:37am
To reform the police department and get it running on all cylinders, you need the backing and support of the rank-and-file. Lewis was able to get the job done with the full support and respect of the rank-and-file. Talk about being under siege- the Mayor’s assessor is up against the wall for his arbitrary assessments and taxpayer harassments with several vehicles inexplicably still registered in Southington, he’s incurred the wrath of the unions and progressives by going after the living wage, his man Lamont was hammered in New Haven, and now his new police chief is getting the big thumbs down. This has been Annus Horribulis for the Mayor. What’s next?
posted by: Cedarhillresident on September 2, 2010 9:13am
Observation
Ortiz messed up big time and the mayor protected him. That was a just thing…that did not happen, sad for us. If we had nipped it in the bud with Ortiz things may have been better.
As far as the knew chief. He has a different style I think that he is setting rules…and police people are only human and change upsets them just like anyone else. But I think this guy is what the city needs right now. I will stand with the new chief for now.
And I totally agree with streever on his above statement.
posted by: lamazz on September 2, 2010 9:43am
I’m really getting tired of this….again Thanks uncle nick.
posted by: A.Tolnay on September 2, 2010 9:45am
To “Observation”...when you make unfounded accusations of racism use your name stand behind your comments.
... why dont you talk to the officers in the department on how they felt about Chief Lewis when he was here and how for the first time in quite awhile this department was actually being run properly and in the right direction. ...and then ... talk to the same officers about how the Morale and work envoirment has changed under the new structure. ...and you can even go so far as to ask them about other chief’s here and you might find that when the Union has serious issues with the administration or a chief its pretty much reflective of the general feelings of the officers were here to represent.
...
posted by: STYLENE on September 2, 2010 11:03am
the former chief, lewis, came to new haven and saw what a mess the dept was. he got the hell out of here!!! though, he did seem to boost morale a bit. however, the current chief, limon, is here to stay so there will be some shake ups. give ol boy a chance. it’s never easy cleaning up someone else’s mess. and by the way…... ol johnny boy should have hired from within. that i think we all can agree on.
posted by: James on September 2, 2010 11:25am
@Observation
Ortiz was incompetent. Limon may or may not be. Pretty weak evidence for making a claim of anti-Latino bias. Even if both were excellent leaders, two instanced does not a trend make.
posted by: anon on September 2, 2010 12:17pm
Is it really true that Lewis left because of destefano and city hall?
Is it the case that destefano keeps screwing up the PD department because he can’t be happy unless he gets to have this meeting at Anastasios where he brokers the union/chief breakdowns?
Would someone who really knows post something substantial about this? It is all innuendo, and very irritating, because we have a right to know.
IF city hall ran off the best PD chief possibly in NH history, that is NEWS. I want to know.
posted by: Anon on September 2, 2010 12:22pm
Streever:
WHAT were city hall’s complaints about Lewis? Would someone fill in the blanks here? is this just some secret info going around in city hall clicks?
You said: “No one had any complaints about Chief Lewis (except city hall). He was a great cop.”
posted by: swatty on September 2, 2010 2:24pm
Judith,
We might be talking man B$obs!
Another thought about the cop late for a meeting: I come to a meeting at 25 minutes to and then leave to go to the bathroom and the meeting starts? Guess what? I’m late for that meeting.
posted by: The Inside on September 2, 2010 9:03pm
...A Yale Sergeant arrived early to the Tasca meeting, and then left briefly to use the bathroom. Upon returning, within three minutes, he was denied entry.
The problem with you Monday morning quarterbacks is that you have no Balls! none what so ever! Mismanagement is simply that! It shouldn’t be tolerated! Don’t blame the cops for things not getting done, blame the rules binding them-dished out by these new chiefs. Blame the Mayor for allowing it!!
This country has deteriorated because of mismanagement, and it will continue to in New Haven until these Chiefs are swiftly dealt with!!!
posted by: helpnewhaven on September 3, 2010 9:07am
Where can I place a No Confidence vote on Cavaliere? ...
If anyone wants to gripe about a Chicago crew that has stepped in and made a mess of things, start on Pennsylvania Ave.
posted by: Bill Kushner on September 3, 2010 9:14am
Obviously, the union is afraid of the changes, as they are now being held to strict professional standards. It makes me wonder just what state the department was in before Limon, et al took over. It sounds to me as though they have instituted professional standards and are trying ti instill some decorum and standards into the department. Frank, Tom, Tobi, Keep up the great work!
posted by: Hawkeye on September 4, 2010 1:49pm
Union President Cavaliere is a good example of the union leadership, that has buried this country, economically. His direction, is obriously the cause of the morale problems, orchestrated in the New Haven Police Department.
posted by: Concerned Citizen on September 7, 2010 1:38pm
I think the no confidence vote should be against Cavalier. A union has its place but should not dictate how an organization is run. Having three prior No Confidence votes against the chief makes me believe they (union)deliberately want to ruin the department and blame someone else. Work with the Chief not against him, both sides would benefit. I respect what Chief Limon is trying to do.
