Two recent community events I believe serve as true examples of the success that can be achieved through positive partnerships between community and police. The first, this past week’s West Indian Week Celebration, which culminated with the 47th West Indian Parade on Saturday, August 8, 2009; and the second, the August 4th National Night Out Against Crime.
The support and collaboration between police and community organizations such as the Men of Color, Hartford Citizens in Action, the African American Alliance, Peacebuilders, Northeast neighborhoods, and organizers of the West Indian Week Celebration, made this year’s event the safest ever that was enjoyed by thousands of festival goers and parade spectators.
Hartford’s National Night Out Against Crime was celebrated throughout the city, from the Blue Hills Recreation Center, the Boys and Girls Club on Sigourney Street, the elderly at Tuscan Homes on Montville Street, to the Upper Albany Neighborhood Collaborative, and the Pope Park Recreation Center, where I might add, a spirited baseball game was played between the community and neighborhood police officers. That evening thousands of neighbors and police officers came together to take a positive stand against crime and celebrate what is good about Hartford neighborhoods.
These two examples are just a few of the many collaborations and positive partnerships that we have seen developed between community and police which has, I believe, provided an enormous contribution to the historic low in crime we are experiencing in our city.
As so often the negative overshadows our positive accomplishments, I believe it is imperative to give credit where credit is due. Therefore, I wish to extend my most heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the many members of our community and the dedicated men and women of the Hartford Police Department and their commanders for their extraordinary efforts in making our community safer. The success achieved through their collaboration and partnership is the result of a focus on service, relationships and safety and is what community policing is all about. “Success is never final!”
The support and collaboration between police and community organizations such as the Men of Color, Hartford Citizens in Action, the African American Alliance, Peacebuilders, Northeast neighborhoods, and organizers of the West Indian Week Celebration, made this year’s event the safest ever that was enjoyed by thousands of festival goers and parade spectators.
Hartford’s National Night Out Against Crime was celebrated throughout the city, from the Blue Hills Recreation Center, the Boys and Girls Club on Sigourney Street, the elderly at Tuscan Homes on Montville Street, to the Upper Albany Neighborhood Collaborative, and the Pope Park Recreation Center, where I might add, a spirited baseball game was played between the community and neighborhood police officers. That evening thousands of neighbors and police officers came together to take a positive stand against crime and celebrate what is good about Hartford neighborhoods.
These two examples are just a few of the many collaborations and positive partnerships that we have seen developed between community and police which has, I believe, provided an enormous contribution to the historic low in crime we are experiencing in our city.
As so often the negative overshadows our positive accomplishments, I believe it is imperative to give credit where credit is due. Therefore, I wish to extend my most heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the many members of our community and the dedicated men and women of the Hartford Police Department and their commanders for their extraordinary efforts in making our community safer. The success achieved through their collaboration and partnership is the result of a focus on service, relationships and safety and is what community policing is all about. “Success is never final!”
Click here to view photos of Hartford National Night Out participants.
Hartford Police Chief Daryl K. Roberts
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