The previous administration supported the Chief with EVERYTHING. It's Stortz that fights him tooth and nail. The Chief has to go to the Police Board to get things done because he can't get anywhere with Stortz.
That pompous rent-a-cop at Bristol Commons would drive a saint to distraction.
Good for the cops for ticketing him for out of state registration which he's had for years. And good for them for ignoring his request to remove a group of teens who were not causing a problem.
Yea, Good for the police for not bothering to get out of their cars to discuss the problem these kids CONSTANTLY bring to the plaza.
Good for the police for showing that a security officer of a shopping plaza has more concern for the safety of the residents that are shopping there than the police do.
Good for the police for choosing not to follow protocal by not contacting their supervisor as requested by the plaza security officer.
Good for the police for taking the time and effort to research reasons that they could retaliate against this security officer.
THIS ISN'T JUST A NEIGHBOR CALLING THE POLICE ON ANOTHER NEIGHBOR. THIS IS A SECURITY OFFICER THAT IS HIRED TO PROTECT THE SHOPPERS AND RETAIL BUSINESSES FROM UNSAFE AND/OR ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WITHIN THE PLAZA. THE KIDS HE WAS CONCERNED WITH DENT CARS WITH THEIR SKATEBOARDS, MAKE THE ELDERLY NERVOUS WHILE THEY ARE FLYING AROUND THE SIDEWALKS, THEY ARE NOISY, DISRESPECTFUL AND ARE QUICK TO START FIGHTS WITH OTHER KIDS THAT COME AROUND THAT THEY DON'T LIKE. THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN KNOWN TO FIND THE UNLOCKED CARS AND TAKE WHAT THEY CAN.
THE POLICE SHOULD DO MORE TO SUPPORT THIS SECURITY OFFICERS EFFORTS INSTEAD OF MOCKING HIM.
Good for the police for not realizaing that this guy was just doing his job.
Good for the Police Union for supporting police officers that are more concerned with their own status and power than they are the safety of the residents in this city.
Only a power blinded police officer would call a security officer a Rent-A-Cop. It's rude and disrespectful. He has a job to do - protect the people that shop and work at the plaza. He does the job well.
Hmmmm....Why did Stop and Shop stop hiring the police to do it for them?
If Mayor Stortz is so concerned with people registering cars out of state then he should have the Tax office give him the records of all the seniors that claim they live in Florida more than half of the year. He should require that they provide proof that they live outside Connecticut for more than 182 days out of the year.
Then there should be a cross reference with the registrar of voters to see if they are eligible to vote here.
Remember, these are the same people that voted him into office because he scared them into believing that their taxes would go up if they didn't vote for him.
I think that Stortz was saying that this is Law Enforcement issue, starting with DMV and then the local police. The Tax department works with information from DMV, vehicle registration is a DMV responsibility, the local Tax Deppartment has no enforcement powers or means to "patrol" the streets. He was right in bringing it up as a police issue, the Board apparently chose not to pursue it, and the city loses money, who knows how much. As regarding support for the Department, how much support did Couture give the Chief? Or Nicastro? That is why Michelle went public: that was his only recourse.
Politics took a high priority in the past: I know, I was there.
Anyone who doesn't think that cops suing each other, with one getting fired, on the heels of the alleged racist radio station and after the revelations about a detective who left his cases collecting dust for years clearly isn't paying any attention. Those are all serious problems.
There are serious problems with the Bristol Police Department. The actions (or inactions) of these two officers is just another problem to add to the BPD list of "things to fix".
There are so many wonderful police officers in Bristol, it's a shame they all have to be stereotyped by those that just can't seem to follow the rules or take their position of power to extremes as these two officers did.
And loitering kids that have a history of being trouble makers is not a small problem. Officer Blackington was there - how hard would it have been for him to tell the kids to move along.
Sure, some cops acted incorrectly. Now he's out of a job. His entire career as a cop may be over.
Is that why one moves to West Hartford Steve? Just don't walk in Elizabeth Park at night OK?
Do you think that this guy got fired because he neglected to throw kids out of the parking lot? Perhaps we'd rather have them hanging out downtown or on the sidewalks of Farmington Ave.? Here's the real deal. The lot was empty. The kids weren't really bothering anyone. The owner made a big stink. The wimps on the Police Board buckled.
A silly home radio station is a "serious problem"? One or two cops get suspended and the entire force has a "serious problem"? Maybe it's the union thing Steve, not the oversight thing there Steve. You ever think about that? I'm sure the liberals I'm referring to were all behind Roger The Rat-fink Michele.
And among those cases collecting dust? At least one child molester. I know this because I read it in the Courant, not the Press, which is a cop-loving paper. While I can understand why cops rush to defend each other, it's the non-cop cop lovers who perplex me. What's up with that? Why does the newspaper spin stories to favor the boys in blue or worse, simply not run them? The Press is great for a lot of news, but not that.
Don't forget how the Police Chief tried to accommodate Monica Ervin by "taking care" of her parking tickets. But she complained about them anyways, believing there was a conspiracy by the Police Department against her.
I think that issue got a mention or two in the Bristol Press, whether it was Steve or Jackie or Amy Talit, don't remember who.
I don't think there is such a thing as conspiring to enforce the law. Conspiracy is usually referred to committing a crime. The cops didn't commit a crime. Violating a person's civil rights on the other hand, is indeed serious, if in fact it happened to the officers inside the PD.
The problems in the Bristol PD have been obvious for some time.
Consider the following examples from the last year.
The Chief allowed 2 detectives to ignore multiple criminal cases over an extended period of time. One would think that he would have learned after one incident. He did not. Even if he did not know about it (though apparently every one else did), it indicates that he lacks the ability to properly supervise subordinates. That alone should have resulted in his dismissal (the Courant had an editorial to this effect).
Officer Lavigne's "road rage" incident where he not only got angry (forgivable) but followed a woman home to verbally abuse her (best described as intimidate or threaten) raises questions about his suitability to serve as a police officer. Had she obtained a restraining order (and it sounded like she had reasonable cause to do so), he would have been fired.
Now we have a series of minor incidents that have surfaced.
We had a City Councilman police officer whose road rage led him to follow a lady home and intimidate her? Was this when he was a councilman, before, or after?
Isn't Blackington the officer that had the police dog that was shot because he attacked another officer?
I think that there is more to his behavior than what this story is telling. Losing his partner must have been devistating and could have something to do with all of this.
Apparently the city would rather clean out the taxpayers pocketbooks with lawsuit settlements than clean out the mismanagers within the department. When the rank and file dont want to do their job for fear of being next of the management blacklist, where does that leave the city who counts on them?
Ever since Michele got national news coverage saying the department was "diseased", the floodgates have been wide open for criticism. It's the cause and effect of tensions and mistrust and the city has not figured out the obvious, that every appeasement to complainers only compounds the distrust. They haven't restored the trust. Act when you should, but don't over-react when you shouldn't. Did they over-react with Blackinton? That guard from NY still evades CT taxes and the law. Andrews enforced that law violation under employment obligation. The retaliation argument doesn't hold water against a legitimate violation. It's called shared intelligence. It's perfectly legal according to the supreme court's pretextual stop ruling. Research it... and it is how many offenders get caught. --Letting the uppity guard "slide" all those months because he was a guard..THAT actually was dereliction of duty by officers. His amnesty came to an end. So what.
Must be a lot more to the story than is being reported by the print media. The security guard is still there, Blackington is gone. I would be really cautious about taking sides until all the info comes out. This is definately something that the papers need to FOI. By the way, was the security guard actually convicted of his license plate crime?
I think this whole topic has gotten out of hand. Granted, there is likely much more to the story then what has been released, but really... Ignoring the gray and considering the black and white, Blackinton did nothing wrong. The security guard had an illegal registration and the kids were reportedly causing no harm at the time. Maybe the officers went about it wrong, but the truth remains, the guy didn't have valid CT plates. HE was in the wrong, not the officers who were responding to a legitimate violation.
Isn't Blackinton the same guy that just took a child predator/rapist off the street (Yes, he is, I'm being sarcastic). Shouldn't you all be greatful that your children are safer due to one less predator on the streets? Please.... get your priorities straight.
And let's not forget the humanity of it all.. What happens to these men, possibly Dads and husbands. Does this act truly deserve thier lively-hood to be taken away after all the years they've served? Should this one action truly counteract the numerous others they did to protect you and your family? It is no secret that Greg Balckinton has done and is known for many outstanding actions during his career making Bristol a safer city in which to reside.
I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with his actions, I'm simply saying that his being fired seems way over the top for this situation.
Lets set things right ! The security officer did not break the law...why do you all think this ? He is a legal resident of NY who works in CT. See how rumors start. Your judging him unfairly not knowing the correct information. Lets ask officer Andrews how many people did he give tickets for out of state plates. I guess it would be NONE. Did he do any homework. No it was only for retaliation when asked from Blackington. Thank goodness at least one officer refused to do so. The security guard has a valid NY licence and the officers knew this as they ran his plates several times before even stopping him. They also stalked him before they stopped him. They are lucky the security guard has not decide to sue them for stalking,and harassment. This was truly an act of retaliation. Also it was reported wrong about the kids not causing trouble. Which was told to the officer. They were warned that a police officer would be called. And of course were not doing anything at the time the officer approached them. In fact there are photos prior to asking the officer to remove them from the property showing there activity of causing a problem. Also if you get a chance ask Blackington what happen to his former police jobs ? Everyone one assumes the security guard did wrong. But he didn't. Also he didn't have them fired or suspended. Have you all forgot there were more than one problem that occurred. Do you think the town would do all this without the correct information. Unlike some they at least did there homework.
27 comments:
At least something is being done about it now, after the previous administrations failed to support the chief.
It's too bad they couldn't go through this process to fire Linsky after everything he did with Roger Michele.
The previous administration supported the Chief with EVERYTHING. It's Stortz that fights him tooth and nail. The Chief has to go to the Police Board to get things done because he can't get anywhere with Stortz.
There's more to this story that isn't being told.
That pompous rent-a-cop at Bristol Commons would drive a saint to distraction.
Good for the cops for ticketing him for out of state registration which he's had for years. And good for them for ignoring his request to remove a group of teens who were not causing a problem.
Yea, Good for the police for not bothering to get out of their cars to discuss the problem these kids CONSTANTLY bring to the plaza.
Good for the police for showing that a security officer of a shopping plaza has more concern for the safety of the residents that are shopping there than the police do.
Good for the police for choosing not to follow protocal by not contacting their supervisor as requested by the plaza security officer.
Good for the police for taking the time and effort to research reasons that they could retaliate against this security officer.
THIS ISN'T JUST A NEIGHBOR CALLING THE POLICE ON ANOTHER NEIGHBOR. THIS IS A SECURITY OFFICER THAT IS HIRED TO PROTECT THE SHOPPERS AND RETAIL BUSINESSES FROM UNSAFE AND/OR ILLEGAL ACTIVITY WITHIN THE PLAZA. THE KIDS HE WAS CONCERNED WITH DENT CARS WITH THEIR SKATEBOARDS, MAKE THE ELDERLY NERVOUS WHILE THEY ARE FLYING AROUND THE SIDEWALKS, THEY ARE NOISY, DISRESPECTFUL AND ARE QUICK TO START FIGHTS WITH OTHER KIDS THAT COME AROUND THAT THEY DON'T LIKE. THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN KNOWN TO FIND THE UNLOCKED CARS AND TAKE WHAT THEY CAN.
THE POLICE SHOULD DO MORE TO SUPPORT THIS SECURITY OFFICERS EFFORTS INSTEAD OF MOCKING HIM.
Good for the police for not realizaing that this guy was just doing his job.
Good for the Police Union for supporting police officers that are more concerned with their own status and power than they are the safety of the residents in this city.
Only a power blinded police officer would call a security officer a Rent-A-Cop. It's rude and disrespectful. He has a job to do - protect the people that shop and work at the plaza. He does the job well.
Hmmmm....Why did Stop and Shop stop hiring the police to do it for them?
Now maybe Blackington can be a "Rent-A-Cop".
If Mayor Stortz is so concerned with people registering cars out of state then he should have the Tax office give him the records of all the seniors that claim they live in Florida more than half of the year. He should require that they provide proof that they live outside Connecticut for more than 182 days out of the year.
Then there should be a cross reference with the registrar of voters to see if they are eligible to vote here.
Remember, these are the same people that voted him into office because he scared them into believing that their taxes would go up if they didn't vote for him.
I think that Stortz was saying that this is Law Enforcement issue, starting with DMV and then the local police.
The Tax department works with information from DMV, vehicle registration is a DMV responsibility, the local Tax Deppartment has no enforcement powers or means to "patrol" the streets.
He was right in bringing it up as a police issue, the Board apparently chose not to pursue it, and the city loses money, who knows how much.
As regarding support for the Department, how much support did Couture give the Chief? Or Nicastro? That is why Michelle went public: that was his only recourse.
Politics took a high priority in the past: I know, I was there.
Collins and Cops Bashers:
Again your liberal bias is exposed. "A serious problem at the Police Dept"? Give me a break.
This security guard doesn't exactly sound like Dudley Do-Right to me. I'll take the BPDs opinion on law enforcement issues anytime.
I also think the Bristol Cops know serious safety problems in comparison to minute problems.
Anyone who doesn't think that cops suing each other, with one getting fired, on the heels of the alleged racist radio station and after the revelations about a detective who left his cases collecting dust for years clearly isn't paying any attention. Those are all serious problems.
There are serious problems with the Bristol Police Department. The actions (or inactions) of these two officers is just another problem to add to the BPD list of "things to fix".
There are so many wonderful police officers in Bristol, it's a shame they all have to be stereotyped by those that just can't seem to follow the rules or take their position of power to extremes as these two officers did.
And loitering kids that have a history of being trouble makers is not a small problem. Officer Blackington was there - how hard would it have been for him to tell the kids to move along.
Sure, some cops acted incorrectly. Now he's out of a job. His entire career as a cop may be over.
Is that why one moves to West Hartford Steve? Just don't walk in Elizabeth Park at night OK?
Do you think that this guy got fired because he neglected to throw kids out of the parking lot? Perhaps we'd rather have them hanging out downtown or on the sidewalks of Farmington Ave.? Here's the real deal. The lot was empty. The kids weren't really bothering anyone. The owner made a big stink. The wimps on the Police Board buckled.
A silly home radio station is a "serious problem"? One or two cops get suspended and the entire force has a "serious problem"? Maybe it's the union thing Steve, not the oversight thing there Steve. You ever think about that? I'm sure the liberals I'm referring to were all behind Roger The Rat-fink Michele.
Funny that you left out the one that strikes me as most serious -- a detective who let cases collect dust instead of investigating them.
And among those cases collecting dust? At least one child molester. I know this because I read it in the Courant, not the Press, which is a cop-loving paper. While I can understand why cops rush to defend each other, it's the non-cop cop lovers who perplex me. What's up with that? Why does the newspaper spin stories to favor the boys in blue or worse, simply not run them? The Press is great for a lot of news, but not that.
Don't forget how the Police Chief tried to accommodate Monica Ervin by "taking care" of her parking tickets. But she complained about them anyways, believing there was a conspiracy by the Police Department against her.
I think that issue got a mention or two in the Bristol Press, whether it was Steve or Jackie or Amy Talit, don't remember who.
I don't think there is such a thing as conspiring to enforce the law. Conspiracy is usually referred to committing a crime. The cops didn't commit a crime. Violating a person's civil rights on the other hand, is indeed serious, if in fact it happened to the officers inside the PD.
The problems in the Bristol PD have been obvious for some time.
Consider the following examples from the last year.
The Chief allowed 2 detectives to ignore multiple criminal cases over an extended period of time. One would think that he would have learned after one incident. He did not. Even if he did not know about it (though apparently every one else did), it indicates that he lacks the ability to properly supervise subordinates. That alone should have resulted in his dismissal (the Courant had an editorial to this effect).
Officer Lavigne's "road rage" incident where he not only got angry (forgivable) but followed a woman home to verbally abuse her (best described as intimidate or threaten) raises questions about his suitability to serve as a police officer. Had she obtained a restraining order (and it sounded like she had reasonable cause to do so), he would have been fired.
Now we have a series of minor incidents that have surfaced.
It is time to clean house
We had a City Councilman police officer whose road rage led him to follow a lady home and intimidate her? Was this when he was a councilman, before, or after?
Isn't Blackington the officer that had the police dog that was shot because he attacked another officer?
I think that there is more to his behavior than what this story is telling. Losing his partner must have been devistating and could have something to do with all of this.
Apparently the city would rather clean out the taxpayers pocketbooks with lawsuit settlements than clean out the mismanagers within the department. When the rank and file dont want to do their job for fear of being next of the management blacklist, where does that leave the city who counts on them?
It's a good thing Bristol spent all that money on Police Department diversity training.
Ever since Michele got national news coverage saying the department was "diseased", the floodgates have been wide open for criticism. It's the cause and effect of tensions and mistrust and the city has not figured out the obvious, that every appeasement to complainers only compounds the distrust. They haven't restored the trust. Act when you should, but don't over-react when you shouldn't. Did they over-react with Blackinton? That guard from NY still evades CT taxes and the law. Andrews enforced that law violation under employment obligation. The retaliation argument doesn't hold water against a legitimate violation. It's called shared intelligence. It's perfectly legal according to the supreme court's pretextual stop ruling. Research it... and it is how many offenders get caught. --Letting the uppity guard "slide" all those months because he was a guard..THAT actually was dereliction of duty by officers. His amnesty came to an end. So what.
Must be a lot more to the story than is being reported by the print media. The security guard is still there, Blackington is gone. I would be really cautious about taking sides until all the info comes out. This is definately something that the papers need to FOI. By the way, was the security guard actually convicted of his license plate crime?
The incident with Tom Lavigne occurred after he left office.
I think this whole topic has gotten out of hand. Granted, there is likely much more to the story then what has been released, but really... Ignoring the gray and considering the black and white, Blackinton did nothing wrong. The security guard had an illegal registration and the kids were reportedly causing no harm at the time. Maybe the officers went about it wrong, but the truth remains, the guy didn't have valid CT plates. HE was in the wrong, not the officers who were responding to a legitimate violation.
Isn't Blackinton the same guy that just took a child predator/rapist off the street (Yes, he is, I'm being sarcastic). Shouldn't you all be greatful that your children are safer due to one less predator on the streets? Please.... get your priorities straight.
And let's not forget the humanity of it all.. What happens to these men, possibly Dads and husbands. Does this act truly deserve thier lively-hood to be taken away after all the years they've served? Should this one action truly counteract the numerous others they did to protect you and your family? It is no secret that Greg Balckinton has done and is known for many outstanding actions during his career making Bristol a safer city in which to reside.
I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with his actions, I'm simply saying that his being fired seems way over the top for this situation.
Lets set things right ! The security officer did not break the law...why do you all think this ? He is a legal resident of NY who works in CT. See how rumors start. Your judging him unfairly not knowing the correct information. Lets ask officer Andrews how many people did he give tickets for out of state plates. I guess it would be NONE. Did he do any homework. No it was only for retaliation when asked from Blackington. Thank goodness at least one officer refused to do so. The security guard has a valid NY licence and the officers knew this as they ran his plates several times before even stopping him. They also stalked him before they stopped him. They are lucky the security guard has not decide to sue them for stalking,and harassment. This was truly an act of retaliation. Also it was reported wrong about the kids not causing trouble. Which was told to the officer. They were warned that a police officer would be called. And of course were not doing anything at the time the officer approached them. In fact there are photos prior to asking the officer to remove them from the property showing there activity of causing a problem. Also if you get a chance ask Blackington what happen to his former police jobs ? Everyone one assumes the security guard did wrong. But he didn't. Also he didn't have them fired or suspended. Have you all forgot there were more than one problem that occurred. Do you think the town would do all this without the correct information. Unlike some they at least did there homework.
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