December 29, 2010

The Coppinger coverup

First off, I have no idea whether the 1,200-page report by Lori Coppinger, a retired West Hartford police  official, is on the money or not.
I haven't seen it.
What I do know is that City Hall is making sure that almost nobody ever sees it.
After the furor surrounding Police Officer Robert Mosback's crash and resignation in the wake of the Press' revelation that he'd been drunk at the time of the on-duty accident, it's simply unimaginable that the report that's supposed to answer all questions is almost totally unavailable.
I could go to the city attorney's office and read it. So could you. So could anyone.
But, c'mon. This isn't 1856.
That report should be posted online so that skeptical residents who want to read it can do so from their own home, office or on the beach in Miami.
Failing to put it online is just jabbing a finger into the skeptical eyes of a jaded public.
I know Mayor Art Ward is out of commission and decisions at City Hall are being made haphazardly, but keeping this report a virtual secret is just plain stupid.
Get it up on the city's website if you want anyone to believe what it says -- or even if you'd just as soon they dismissed its conclusions.
Let people pick it apart however they like.
Every page -- all 1,200 of them - should be online ASAP. Keeping the report on the shelf at City Hall in the internet age amounts to a cover up. That's the crowdsourcing age we live in now.

By the way, here are links to stories about the report from The Bristol Press and The Hartford Courant.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Steve,

Not every one goes on the computer to find things out: why do we have newspapers?

If you want to keep the Press in business, read it and report on it in the Press!

Anonymous said...

they won't put it online because the public would demand discipline of Divenere and Killiany and apparently no one at City Hall wants to do that for some unknown reason.

Steve Collins said...

Of course it should be in the newspaper(s). And of course most people won't read a 1,200 page report online. But many would -- and with many eyes, they'd find both its flaws and its strong points.

Anonymous said...

Steve,

Maybe your putting it in teh Press would pique people's interest.


Why not try it?

Ben said...

Anonymous 10:04,

What a bunch of bull.
Steve is to read 1200 pages, have no copy then report on it. Now you can then complain how he got it wrong?
Sounds like what happened about the workers comp case. Steve got that wrong, he reported Mosback applied for it. Big deal! He wasn't that far off. Anybody who knows better knows the office does all the paperworksuch as WC.

Besides can't believe anybody still uses paper to read news. It's so 20th century.

Steve,
Why can't you use FOI laws to get a copy?
How bout lining up 1200 people to read one page at a time?

They just want to bury this, and let it go away. We want some changes in the BPD.

Anonymous said...

Steve,
I think it's part of your job to investigate and then report it in the newspaper.

Anonymous said...

If you want to keep the Press in business, read it and report on it in the Press!

December 29, 2010 10:04 AM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You think stephen can read ?!?!?!?!

Anonymous said...

This all sounds like sour grapes on your part, Steve. The Courant covers Bristol part time, part time and you got scooped. Should the report be scanned and posted? Sure. Failure to do so immediately a coverup? You have to be kidding. You are supposed to be covering City Hall full time and letting us know what is going on...if I were your boss I'd tell you to get some hustle or move on.

Anonymous said...

you are kidding right steve? when you start paying local taxes you can start telling people to change their job descriptions to do your job for you! Really what is wrong with you? "Coverup" you need a new line of business, you have lots your moral compass and you have lost your perspective

Anonymous said...

Kenny won't/can't make any changes, and it will be some time before Art gets back.

So, Steve take that time and read the report, and let us know what is in it!

Anonymous said...

I usually don't agree with Steve but I do on this one. That report should be easily available to everyone. There's no cheaper, easier way to disseminate information than to put it online. The city should do it, no just with this report but with everything it does that's not confidential. We deserve to know what they're doing with our money.

Anonymous said...

We could all go to the HS football game, but we count on the media to report it, just as we all could go to the registrars office to get the elections results, all run to a house fire etc etc.

Just what is a reporters job anyhow?

Anonymous said...

You're complaining because it’s only available in hardcopy at city hall? The point is that it’s available. Go get your own copy through proper channels if you want it so badly. Jeeeez! A cover-up because they won't post it online? Seriously? WTF is wrong with you? Is there anything that this city can do that won't seem suspect to you? If Bristol sucks so badly, then anyone who is unhappy here is free to move elsewhere. I'm so frustrated and flabbergasted by the whining and complaining everyone does about everything. It gets ridiculous hearing nothing but complaints. If we lived in Utopia, people would complain that there's nothing to complain about!

Anonymous said...

I'm astonished that so many of you want to rely on Don Stacom and Diane Church to tell you what was in that report instead of seeing it for yourselves.

Anonymous said...

Steve, don't complain when the Press loses readership and goes out of business

Anonymous said...

9:11 I guess you'll never get used to these complaining republicans but it's been going on for years. Imagine what they will be like IF they get old? You are right but they don't listen. And they like to see their writings in print.

Anonymous said...

It sounds very much like City Hall is trying to bury this report.

1. The report was released in what for many people was a vacation week. It is similar to releasing a story on Friday night to kill it. If I was more cynical I might think that they were hiding the report behind the report of Art Ward.

2. There is no reason that the report could not be put on the web. It its too large then a summary, which should be part of the report, could be put on the web.

3. The published length of 1200 pages is suspicious. I have seen students attempt to conceal poor quality work with sheer quantity. This may be no different.

4. There real issues are really quite simple. How can a police force which run alcohol stops miss the fact that one of their own was pretty drunk. Didn't anyone notice? It is suspicious that he was transported to Hartford when Bristol Hospital was within a mile. You'll notice that the mayor was taken there. I know other people who have been taken there, and if it was beyond, the ability of Bristol Hospital to treat, then transported to Hartford.

The Bristol PD has significant problems. It seems that every few months a new problem arises. It needs a serious house cleaning starting at the top.

Anonymous said...

3:and others.

Want a clean up?

Get out and vote.

More important, support those that have taken and will take the tough position.

From my vantage point, I would say that those that did in the past did not get your support, and the special interest groups AND those that voted for their neighbor and friend prevailed.

But do not be fooled by bluster that has no foundation or basis to be enacted.

Matt from Plymouth said...

Steve, sounds like a follow up to a discussion you and I had about printing public notices versus using town websites.

Today most people have computers and can more efficiently(no printing costs) and easily(at their own schedule) access information that in the past required someone to scour the classifieds or sift through reams of paper at city hall.

I'm on your side for this one. Convert the document to pdf and load to the city's website. Done.

Anonymous said...

I have not seen the report myself but I suspect that saying it is 1200 pages is a bit misleading. These types of reports generally have reams of "supporting documents" most of which is meaningless. I'm willing to bet that Coppinger's actual report is not more than 50 pages. Report it accurately Steve...that'd be a first.

Anonymous said...

The Bristol Press, a for-profit business, wants a copy of this report at no cost. I don't think so. Pay your share..it helps defray the original printing cost and helps the taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

I'm hearing that despite refusing to speak to Coppinger, after being read his Garritty rights, absolutely nothing in the form of punishment is being given to Killaney by the Chief. wtf, how is that even possible

Anonymous said...

I think "Blitzen" from the HC comment page said it best!

Blitzen at 12:13 AM December 29, 2010

Simply stated this article clearly shows that Divinere is a moron and has been in over his head since his promotion. He lacks the ability and leadership to continue on and needs to step down. Hey maybe they can promote Kot to the top post. Divinere, Ward and Fergusen clearly met there match with Kot. He has always supported the officers whether they deserved it or not and even saved a baby. Seriously over the past two years the BPD has been negatively portrayed in the press because of Divinere, the mayor and the Police Board's inability to make good hiring, management and promotional judgements. It appears that they had no choice but to band together and clearly their union leadership is stronger and smarter than their Chief. I am a resident of Bristol and am tired of reading the negative press that comes from the BPD. Bristol has declined so much over the years and good police and city leaders are needed more than ever. It is time for Ward to make a decision to weed out all of the bad cops & Divinere, that will actually benefit the residents and his officers. The BPD deserves to get a leader that has the experience and ability to help them move ahead together.

Anonymous said...

Heard that ward is urging and supporting cockayne in doing something about the PD, but
Kennjy is afraid to put anything into action.

Guess he has already learned that things aren't as easy as they seem.

Anonymous said...

Ken is doing a fine job. How about a little support? No one said being mayor is easy. The worst part is dealing with naysayers who don't know a thing about the job.

Anonymous said...

4:48

Ken has been more critical, more self-serving and the least capable of just about all council people in the last decade.
He is pompous, arrogant, and I do not belive qualified to bemayor.

This stint has made that clear to many!

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised your boss doesn't get a reporter who can get the goods.

Anonymous said...

10:26 - Looks to me like Steve got the goods. He wrote the story about Mosback driving drunk. Somebody else dropped the ball about this whitewashed report!
I see now why Steve wants the electronic version. I want to know what's in it but the papers are done writing about it, it seems, with no more than a cursory nod to the report's contents. I don't have time to go read it at city hall. I would read it on line, however, at least in part.

Anonymous said...

This is the first time i have logged on to your website only because i wanted to know if you inform any better then your editor so far i see nothing. Let me try you out. I have asked several times the status of our insurance policy and the local agent (unknown) if they paid off on the cruiser? Second the Hartford Courant ran fron page that Bristol is on the hook for $300.000.00 that our Ins. is not obligated to pay.Did we read the fine print? Respectfully.Eugene

Anonymous said...

I dunno Steve...is it really a "cover up" just because it isn't online? If you can go into City Hall and read it, that's a pretty lackluster cover up. It's not exactly forthcoming to keep the document offline, but then again a 1,200 page PDF is a big file. Sounds more like laziness than a sinister plan to deceive the people of Bristol.

Anonymous said...

Hey Steve,

Are they covering up the Audit?
It usually comes out in December.

Any idea on that?