He Got Hot In The Police Van

An officer handcuffed ZeeWee Mpala, then loaded him into a police van. Outside, the mercury pushed 93 degrees. Inside the van, the temperature rose even higher.

Three years after that sweating ride, Mpala still remembers how it felt. He told a Board of Aldermen committee all about it amid a new heat wave Tuesday night — and received a promise that lawmakers will look into the issue.

In a letter written to the board this April, Mpala said he felt suffocated by the heat and experienced ​“bouts of claustrophobia” due to the prisoner transport van’s lack of ventilation.

“I wanted out,” Mpala recalled.

Before the Board’s Public Safety Committee, Mpala spoke about the need for improved ventilation in vehicles used to transport arrestees. Meanwhile, police officials said their vans are up to date with comfortable temperatures for arrestees and officers alike.

“I’m not really here for me,” Mpala said to the aldermen. ​“I’m here for others. Others may not take the time [to say something.]”

Police arrested Mpala back in July 2010 at Stop and Shop on a shoplifting complaint. Mpala said he was falsely arrested. The case was thrown out of court; he has since filed a civil suit against the supermarket.

Mpala compared the transport experience to getting an MRI. Both situations are confining, he said, but with an MRI doctors give patients time to overcome their fears before proceeding.

Though New Haven’s police vans have vents, Mpala said, they aren’t large enough to adequately ventilate the vehicles in the summer. Pointing to an article about a Connecticut man who died in police custody in 2011, Mpala stressed the need to ensure proper care of prisoners.

“This does happen,” he said. ​“People can die in transport.”

Members of the seven-member committee said they understand Mpala’s concerns. A lack of ventilation would affect all people transported, Hill Alderwoman Jacqueline James said, but could be especially problematic for those with heart conditions, asthma, or other medical concerns. James offered a few suggestions – rolling down the van’s windows, turning up the air conditioning – but emphasized the committee’s limited power in the matter. ​“I’m sure there are federal standards and guidelines,” she said. ​“We don’t make [them].” Downtown Alderman Douglas Hausladen said police vans might also be subject to an international human rights policy.

While the committee acknowledged the importance of arrestees’ comfort and health, Fair Haven Alderman Ernie Santiago expressed the need to protect the city’s officers as well. ​“I don’t want to sound mean,” he said, ​“but the first thing we have to look out for is the safety of our officers.”

The committee agreed to write a letter to Police Chief Dean Esserman concerning the matter. In James’ words, ​“It doesn’t hurt to try.” The letter will inquire about the standards for police vans, whether the vehicles have air conditioning and heat – and whether these systems are routinely inspected and repaired, and whether the police department has received any complaints on the matter – from ZeeWee or others. The letter will also request a response from Esserman. 

As Hausladen said to nods from the rest of the committee, the police van issue matters. ​“It’s a mark of our government how we treat those people in custody,” he said. 

Mpala said he found the committee’s message as a whole disappointing: ​“We hear you, but there’s nothing we can do.”

Contacted Wednesday, both Assistant Police Chief Luiz Casanova and police union President Louis Cavaliere Jr. said they did not know of any complaints about conditions in the vans.

“I personally drove the wagon last week. The air conditioning did work,” Cavaliere said. The vans have separate knobs for air conditioning in the front and in the back, where prisoners ride. He said he had the air conditioning on for a prisoner he picked up. ​“I asked if if it was hot” when the ride ended, and the prisoner said no, Cavaliere reported.

The city uses 2009 Ford Economline vans, which have both air conditioning and heat, according to Casanova, who checked out them out Wednesday after learning of the hearing. ​“I’ve never head anyone complain about it. We keep these vans up to date,” Casanova said. ​“We don’t let them run down. They’re not antiquated.”

Paul Bass contributed reporting to this story.