Outrage Over Shooting Shuts Down Streets

by Thomas Breen | Apr 19, 2019 8:07 am

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Posted to: Legal Writes, Downtown

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posted by: wendy1 on April 19, 2019 9:11am Nice to see some civil disobedience. We need more of it for pressing issues like the school system, housing the homeless, taxing Yale, etc

posted by: AverageTaxpayer on April 19, 2019 9:49am What do we want? ACCOUNTABILITY! When do we want it? NOW!

posted by: 1644 on April 19, 2019 10:38am If we want accountability, we need to change the laws on police employment, lower the standard for a just cause firing. If we want fewer questionable police shootings, we need to change police training and tactics to prioritize protection of innocent life, public order and safety though more restriction rules on use of force, particularly lethal force.

posted by: oneguy on April 19, 2019 10:45am Do people not realize all colleges are exempt from taxes?

posted by: WereUthere? on April 19, 2019 11:24am Can we also see protests for the other shootings going on in New Haven? Asking for a friend.

posted by: Trustme on April 19, 2019 11:46am Overtime is goin to be trough the ceiling and it’s over something New Haven cops had nothing to do with, but they were the ones getting screamed at and getting treated like crap by the protesters last night. Meanwhile during the protest, a teen gets shot and not a peep!!! Such a joke!!!!

posted by: BevHills730 on April 19, 2019 12:12pm 1644, You’re a Yale guy. What do you think is Yale’s obligation to New Haven after its police boxed in a car and shot at two unarmed individuals leading to one being shot? Given your comment are you blaming Yale for bad training protocols and too lax of a policy on the use of lethal force? As Yale pushes further into neighborhoods with its armed police are these incidents more likely to occur?

posted by: challenge on April 19, 2019 12:30pm What a contrast in how police behave during other peaceful protests in the city. Over 7 hours disrupting streets and no riot gear, no dogs, no arrest, no police brutality, not even police interference. So I guess the police can uphold our Constitutional rights to protest, speech and peaceful assembly when privilege is in the space. Nice to know.

posted by: 1644 on April 19, 2019 2:05pm BevHills:

Yes and yes, although it’s important to note a few things:

1. Yale doesn’t train its own police. It’s police attend NHPD or the state municipal academy, so are trained in pretty much the same tactics as municipal police. They are certified by the same POST as other CT police.

2. I am pretty sure that Yale officers wear NHPD badges, or act under some sort of deputization from New Haven, so ultimately, New Haven needs to review NHPD protocols and tactics and unsure they are what they city wants.

3. Unlike NHPD and Hamden cops, Yale police do not have the constitutional job protections that public employees have. They could, therefore, be more accountable than publicly employed cops, even be employees at will. However, they have a union, and one of the big issues in the last contract was “more due process” rights for the police, meaning it’s more difficult to fire misbehaving police. Commentators like Wendy supported the YPD union in their quest, perhaps acting reflexively that Yale is bad so therefore the union is good. If you go back to my comments on the Yale police union protests, you will see I raised this issue. I don’t think anyone else was concerned about it.

4. Normally, the ability of Yale police to respond to off-campus incidents such as this should be a bonus to New Haven. New Haven gets an added level of police response for no direct cost.

5. It is essential that the city review the training, tactics and protocols of Yale police and ensure they are in sync with the desires of the city. If am am correct in number 2, the city might insist that YPD all be trained at NHPD, or even serve with NHPD first.

6. While the response went badly here, would you really want YPD to ignore in progress, off-campus crime when a call goes out? If you were being attacked on, say Howe Street, and a Yale officer were two minutes away and a NHPD officer 7 minutes away, would you not want the YPD officer to respond?

posted by: 1644 on April 19, 2019 3:34pm Bev: “Its police”, not “It’s police”. Sorry.

posted by: 1644 on April 19, 2019 3:47pm BevHills: From YPD general orders:

POLICE AUTHORITY

The Yale University Police Department is a full service police agency in the State of Connecticut and receives its authority under Section 3 of Public Act No. 83-466 of the Connecticut General Statutes (“An Act Concerning Police Mutual Aid Agreements and Appointment and Duties of Yale University Police Officers.”)

“The City of New Haven, acting through its board of police commissioners, may appoint persons designated by Yale University to act as Yale University police officers. Such officers having duly qualified under section 7-294d of the general statutes, and having been sworn, shall have all the powers conferred upon municipal police officers for the city of New Haven. They shall be deemed for all purposes to be agents and employees of Yale University, subject to such conditions as may be mutually agreed upon by the city of New Haven, acting through its board of police commissioners, and Yale University.”

All Yale University police officers must be certified and must renew such certification as required by the Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POSTC).

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING CTLEA 3.1.3

The relationship between the department, the City of New Haven and the New Haven Police Department is defined in a Memorandum of Understanding. The memorandum of understanding defines the duties, responsibilities and authority of the respective parties.

posted by: BevHills730 on April 19, 2019 4:49pm 1644, You make a good case for taking away the arrest powers and guns from Yale Police. How odd it is for New Haven to be responsible for their mistakes, while the police are ultimately accountable to the Yale Corporation, which is far removed from our city. Also you seem to be violating the fundamental law of New Haven finances: Even if it looks like a subsidy from Yale to New Haven it is almost always a subsidy from New Haven to Yale. New Haven pays for the Yale police force through a reduction in Yale’s payment for fire and emergency services. Sure this payment is voluntary, but it is difficult to imagine that Yale wouldn’t up the payment if it relied on the same police force as the rest of New Haven.

posted by: Heyward1 on April 19, 2019 5:59pm Lolll where were all these ppl when four were shot last Saturday in new haven? Commit an armed robbery, and get praised as a victim and collect millions. What a time to be alive

posted by: 1644 on April 19, 2019 7:17pm BevHills: New Haven is responsible for the mistakes of YPD officers in that New Haven’s police commission approves all YPD officer hires. However, under the MOU between Yale and New Haven, the officers are agents of Yale, not New Haven, and Yale would therefore be liable for judgments due to their misconduct, and is further liable to indemnify officers for their misconduct, as is standard for all CT police officers.

Because their authority derives from the New Haven, YPD is ultimately overseen by New Haven, not the Yale Corporation. As for the Corporation, it is a group of people who act as trustees for the university. Some live far away, some relatively close, but that’s not unusual for any international board, With modern communications, all are fairly easily accessible. Current members include Lamont and SuBy, as the Governor and Lt. Gov. are always members, as well as Bain Capital head Josh Bekenstein, who lives in the Boston area. Past member Maya Lin lives in Brooklyn, but visits New Haven for family on a regular basis. The corporation members are real people, and those whom I have known are nice people.

posted by: Kevin McCarthy on April 19, 2019 7:48pm BevHills380, I think you are misreading the General Orders (although I will defer to anyone who went to law school on this point). The General Orders specify that the YPD officers have all the powers of NHPD officers. But “they shall be deemed for all purposes to be agents and employees of Yale University…” I don’t think the city is responsible for the mistakes made by YPD officers. Yale, as their employer, is potentially on the hook.

posted by: elmcityresident9 on April 19, 2019 7:57pm Yale’s saying that the Yale police officer responded to a call to assist a Hamden police officer, https://communications.yale.edu/information-new-haven-shooting-april-16-2019

posted by: 1644 on April 19, 2019 9:30pm Again from YPD general orders: The primary responsibility of the officers of the Yale University Police Department is to protect the life and property of citizens. In compliance with applicable law, members shall use only the amount of force necessary and reasonable to control a situation, effect an arrest, overcome resistance to arrest, or defend themselves or others from harm. When force is necessary, the degree of force employed should be in direct relationship to the amount of resistance exerted, or the immediate threat to officers or others.

posted by: Urn Pendragon on April 19, 2019 11:51pm @everyone I wish I could have been at this rally, to listen and talk. Part of the police department’s disfunction stems from the overspending by Harp to turn New Haven into a police state. Peace and civil engagement comes from trust, not from sowing fear. The police budget needs to be trimmed, and sensitivity training adopted as part of the standing orders.

There needs to be an open election after a public hearing to decide what the people want to happen. Accountability is paramount in giving guidance to the police force on how better to act. Holding each and every person to the same standards must be mandatory when it comes to crimes and police actions.

I want you, the people, to have majority say on matters such as this. Someone must be the conduit for change, which is why a candidate must take a stand, political agendas aside. It is sad, depressing and tragic about what happened, which is why the officers who shot at Stephanie and Paul must be held accountable, even punished to the letter of the law. I promise this is not a political power play, simply my own words in support to the families, friends and to everyone in the community. This heart of mine is forcing me to imagine the pain and hurt, torment and anguish of the people, while reliving my own painful past. Please speak your minds, peacfully protest and crowd the streets with your words. Change can’t happen unless everyone en mass puts aside their fear to shout out what they need to say for what’s right. Spread the word, “I will hold criminals and city officials alike to the same morality, including myself, to standards of the law.” Reach out to me to tell me your story, I want to hear from you at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Take care and be well,

Urn Pendragon, mayoral candidate

posted by: Bill Saunders on April 19, 2019 11:55pm Kevin McCarthy, All that says to me is that YPD is the only Police Organization that can afford paying for their own abuses based on the body cam footage! The City’s will be bankrupt, especially if this is the ‘training standard’ I’m still rooting for the guy that got ‘tased’ buying snack!

posted by: dmt11665 on April 20, 2019 10:19am While I find the action of these officers deplorable in every possible way let’s take to the streets to protest all the shootings in our towns.

posted by: wendy1 on April 20, 2019 10:51am 1644—-defending unions is not a reflex but an educated answer to the exploitation of a workforce.

Debates coming up May 15—-West Rock and May 22—- East Rock. Will Toni show??

posted by: challenge on April 20, 2019 11:36am When people attempt to distract from police violence by bringing up community violence most of us can see it for what it is ....a distraction. When civilians are involved in street violence an immediate arrest is made. There is no “let’s wait until the investigation is over” before arrest so there is no need for community protest. Protest is a tool used to bring attention to the fact that an injustice has occurred .It’s about justice delayed which most outcomes being justice denied. Now that we have that straight we can get back to the issue at hand, cops with guns and lack of impulse control.

posted by: 1644 on April 20, 2019 1:32pm I was disturbed to read of Chief Reyes saying that New Haven police were not just warriors, but guardians as well. Minneapolis is taking a more enlighten approach to police training.

http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-to-ban-warrior-training-for-police/508756392/?ref=nl&om_rid=1573544393&om_mid=288466377 Police are not warriors, nor should they have a warrior mentality. Too much of police training and culture seems to inculcate a warrior mentality rather than a service mentality. The result is police don’t see themselves as part of the community, and serving that community, but as a occupying force in a set of perpetual war with a hostile public. Emblematic of this mentality is the way police and the media differentiate between police and civilians. In fact, place are civilians, not subject to military law by operating under civilian law.

posted by: narcan on April 20, 2019 1:59pm As none of these agitators are privy to the State’s investigation of this incident, I find it sickeningly ironic they have already pronounced guilt under the guise of some misguided sense of “justice”. The initial posts made by some named here actually claimed the police had killed Washington. Since we are talking about privilege, what a privilege to be able to spread factually incorrect, slanderous, and even harmful information with little fear of repercussion. Does New Haven really tolerate threats to murder police officers or attack their families? I guess we will see if any arrests come of that.

posted by: BevHills730 on April 20, 2019 3:02pm I agree Kevin. 1644 is the one blaming the mistakes of the Yale police officer on New Haven.

posted by: 1644 on April 20, 2019 4:01pm Wendy: So, if I am educated, I will support unions, even when they aim to make it difficult if not impossible to cull dangerous officers from our police forces? Your support for public sector unions is at odds with your many declarations of how many people you will fire if elected mayor. Public sector unions generally support :just cause” requirements that make it extremely difficult to fire employees, even for egregious behavior.

posted by: Samuel T. Ross-Lee on April 20, 2019 7:48pm narcan, For people for whom the “Official Reports” usually works in their favor, it is understandable that they would have their dander up when others don’t wait for it to be released before we start reacting to what our eyes have already seen. We understand why a person like you strongly disagree with what you consider our premature conclusion. But, you don’t understand why we might be moved to draw those conclusions. Well, here are some reasons why: We remember a 15-year-old boy from Chicago who was kidnapped, beaten, shot, and thrown in a river in Mississippi based on a lie, while everyone in town, including the Officials, knew who the killers, but an all-white jury refused to convict. We watched a video over and over of cops beating a man Los Angelos, but when prosecutors moved the trial to a predominantly white town, all of the abusive police officers walked free. We know that time, and time again the “Offical Report” runs contrary to all available information, public evidence, and undeniable video recordings. So, please excuse us for not sitting on our hands waiting on official reports. Maybe you don’t, but we’ve learned that we should trust our eyes, not what the officials tell us the truth is.

posted by: wendy1 on April 21, 2019 2:37pm 1644—-Obviously I cant and wont fire everyone especially people who survive on those jobs. Getting fired is a death sentence for the 99% of us. I will let go the greedy and corrupt who have enough to live on or the woefully incompetent who are bad for morale. I would insist phones get answered by humans and no one would be allowed to say “He/she is in a meeting”. The taxpaying public deserve better service than we currently get.