Conn. facing a public safety crisis

Let’s face it; we all know that public safety in Connecticut is a problem. The inability to hold juvenile criminals accountable has resulted in a spike in car thefts — at times costing people their lives. It is extraordinarily disheartening to see so-called policy leaders in Connecticut place blame on national trends, accuse anyone who points out a real issue as merely a partisan attack or try to place the blame on COVID. It’s time to put people first and address the immediate crisis of public safety — before something even worse happens.

Gov. Lamont’s suggestion that an “uptick in violence” can be handled with a few million dollars, rather than the leadership we need to address these issues holistically, fails to meet this serious moment. People are looking for leadership, not excuses. If rising crime, the highest unemployment in the nation, massive education achievement gaps and lack of affordability are acceptable public policy outcomes, the political system and those who control it have failed.

We need to have a substantive discussion on how to provide a safer environment, a better quality of education and a more affordable cost of living to return our cities and the rest of the state to prosperity. If we continue with the same policies, the outcomes will not change. Connecticut residents deserve better.

I will continue to advocate for a holistic approach to reform, not limited to the scope of criminal justice, but all-inclusive. We need education funding to follow the child rather than a particular ZIP code. We need to reverse the broadbrush approach to police reform that is making it harder for good officers to do good work — and protect the public from the minority of officers who don’t. We need a focus on fixing our cities rather than telling the people and businesses the only way to succeed is to move out.

Perhaps the most frustrating excuse leaders make is that crime has risen “everywhere,” therefore we shouldn’t worry about it. That it’s somehow OK to ignore a serious problem, just because other states have it, as well. This denial of reality by Lamont and his administration has resulted in a clear and present danger to Connecticut residents, particularly in our cities.

Over 20 people have been murdered this year in Hartford alone — more in the first six months of 2021 than almost all of last year. Homicides are up 66 percent in the city of New Haven. Car thefts by minors, in many cases with multiple prior arrests, are out of control. In June, a teenager with 13 prior arrests allegedly killed a jogger in New Britain with a stolen car. We could go on and on, but there is clearly a problem.

I recently criticized the lack of support Lamont has shown to law enforcement across the state and attributed the rise in violent crime, at least in part, to his support for an overreaching bill on policing in Connecticut. I encouraged him to review the police accountability bill and to hold a special session with legislators now and take immediate actions to keep people safe.

The governor rationalized that he has added, or plans to add, 410 state troopers — as if this somehow solves the problem. According to the governor’s own commissioner, the new trooper classes barely make up for the wave of retirements. Currently the state trooper ranks are 65 percent of the force they were during Gov. Jodi Rell’s tenure. Just last fall, a whopping 97 percent of state troopers who took part in a symbolic vote expressed no confidence in Lamont and his top leadership. How can Lamont even begin to claim that he is pro-police when 97 percent of his own police force has zero confidence in his ability to lead them?

The governor has failed to even address the concerns of the 6,000 local and municipal police officers across Connecticut. Not to mention correction officers, fire, emergency services and all the other first responders who keep us safe. With some of the most expensive and onerous parts of the police accountability bill still not yet in effect, we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of the harm this policy has caused. It will add millions of dollars in unreimbursed costs to comply with — effectively defunding police departments across the state.

Leaders in Hartford need to listen to their constituents and focus on reform, rather than denying reality to protect their own reputation. If we start to focus on people rather than politics, perhaps we can make residents feel safer, improve their kids’ education and make it at least a bit easier for them to afford to live here.