Description
We have been experiencing an exceedingly great number of quality of life issues and crime around 1 Union Ave and we would very much like the New Haven Police Department to be fix the issues before the summer months arrive. We noticed the police department continues to bill the tax payers, yet are not providing even the very basic services that a police department is expected to provide. Crime is out of control; people are constantly shooting people and being shot, violence in general is beyond scary, and all other gang crime and drug crimes are becoming far too common and committed in the open. Traffic violations are out of control; there are speeding cars everywhere, basic traffic rules are disregarded by almost everyone, and people committing more serious offenses like running red lights and stops signs occur at a frequency that is beyond appalling. Quality of life issues are out of control; the list is so long and everyone knows it.
Why don't you start by pulling people over for basic offenses like: no brake lights, headlights out, cracked windshields, missing plates, expired plates, tinted windows, loud mufflers, and loud music. If they have tinted windows, pull them over. If they then look suspicious, search the vehicle. If they have a loud muffler, pull them over. If they then look suspicious, search the vehicle. If they are playing loud music, pull them over. If they then look suspicious, search the vehicle. I guarantee the results of following these very basic procedures will be noticed by ALL the City of New Haven residents and its out of town visitors. The people who value life and want a decent quality of life will be very appreciative.
You say you cannot because you are undermanned/understaffed. Not true. You need to restructure your department. It is as simple as that. You also need to get your priorities straight. Why do we see countless officers all over town watching construction workers doing their jobs? Or, directing traffic like a flagman, at best? You say safety. Not true. Why not hire a real flagger who has been trained? Half the time these officers are sitting in their cars talking on their cell phones. Lately, we have seen not one cop at each construction site, but two, usually sitting around talking and not paying attention. All of these officers could, and SHOULD, be driving around pulling people over for the above mentioned quality of life and traffic offenses. Simple as that. Again, if they have tinted windows, pull them over. If they then look suspicious, search the vehicle. If they have a loud muffler, pull them over. If they then look suspicious, search the vehicle. If they are playing loud music, pull them over. If they then look suspicious, search the vehicle. The procedure is simple and effective and has years of use behind it to back up its effectiveness.
If you follow this simple plan that I have spelled out above (it doesn't require much brain matter), it is certain that this little town of 124,000 people can return to some degree of normalcy before the summer really gets going. I am sure there are many other New Haven residents out there that would agree with me.
Thank you for your time,
A New Haven Resident
19 Comments
New Haven Resident (Guest)
Go here to see the original post that garnered so much support (before it was deleted):
http://newhavenelmcity.blogspot.com/
Feel free to comment.
Uncle Egg (Guest)
While I share your concerns about quality of life issues, your suggestions go beyond what's legal. I would also like to see cops pull over motorists who drive with loud radios or modified mufflers (motorcyclists, too). But the law is very fuzzy about what is "too loud," and from what I understand it's just about impossible to enforce.
Last I checked, tinted windows were legal. And it is not a crime to "look suspicious." Police can't just pull people over for any reason, and they shouldn't. This is America and people have rights -- even people who "look suspicious."
RunningBubbles (Registered User)
The law ain't fuzzy about tinted windows and modified exhaust. It's just that these crimes are ignored so often that you might think it's legal:
"Any vehicle with an after market tinted window must have a tint compliance sticker affixed to it by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Stickers may be affixed to vehicle windows which, when tested, have an allowable light transmittance of no less than 35 percent plus or minus three percent.
Rear Window: If the vehicle is equipped with left and right-hand side rear view mirrors, the tinting standard does not apply to the rear most window (back window).
MPV: If the manufacturer's certification label in the driver’s door jamb identifies the vehicle as an MPV, the windows to the rear of the operator may be tinted as dark as desired provided the vehicle is equipped with left and right side rear view mirrors.
Trucks, motor buses, trailers, motor homes and livery vehicles: The windows to the rear of the operator may be tinted as dark as desired provided the vehicle is equipped with left and right side rear view mirrors.
Medical Exemption: If a medical condition exists which requires tint between 32 percent and not less than 20 percent, a medical exemption form must be completed.
The validated form must be carried in the vehicle at all times; compliance stickers will not be affixed to windows in exempted vehicles. The Request for Application & Special Permit for Exemption from Tinted Window Requirements (Form E-220) must be validated by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Division after passing the tint measurement at either the Wethersfield, Enfield or Hamden inspection lanes.
Window tint with a light transmittance of less than 20 percent will fail the measurement and not be issued the exemption. Applicants in this situation will be referred to the Medical Review Unit. "
http://www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?Q=245366&a=799
Frequently Asked Questions on Customizing Vehicles
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Is it legal to have after market lighting on my car?
Any motor vehicle equipped wth after market lighting, other than supplied by the manufacturer, must comply with certain regulations for the State of Connecticut. As specified in Sections 14-137-100 through 14-137-104 of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Regulations manual.
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What are the allowable colors for my after market lighting?
Any light visible from a motor vehicle should be the following:
- Any light visible from the front of the vehicle shall be white,
yellow or amber.
- Any light visible from the forward most edge of the rear
tire of the vehicle to the front of the vehicle shall be
amber or yellow.
- Any light visible from the forward most edge of the rear
tire of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle shall be red.
- Any light visible from the rear of the vehicle shall be red
or amber.
(Effective July 25, 1994)
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Can I have underbody neon lights if they are shatterproof?
To date none of the manufacturers of neon lamps have certified the color and intensity of their product. If they were to become certified then the color would be limited by the location but white, amber or yellow, and red is the only allowable colors to be displayed while operated on the road in accordance with DMV Regulation 14-137-101.
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Can I have neon hubcaps or wheel covers?
Hubcaps and/or wheel covers also fall under the same specification as neon lights. However, only amber or yellow would be allowed on the front wheels and only red would be allowed on the rear wheels to comply with DMV Regulations 14-137-101.
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Can I have in addition to my headlights, neon bars that don’t go on with the headlights, but are hooked up separately?
None of the manufacturers of neon lamps have certified the color and intensity of their product. The addition of not more than two auxiliary driving lamps, passing lamps, or fog lamps producing white or amber light is allowed provided that they are mounted at a height in accordance with Connecticut State Law Title 14 Sec. 14-96o. In addition, in accordance with Connecticut State Law Title 14 Sec. 14-96y there may be no more than four lamps exceeding 300 candlepower illuminated at the front at any one time. This means that if the headlamp system has two lamps on each side illuminated at any time then the auxiliary lamps must extinguish automatically. Furthermore, any auxiliary lamps of over 300 candlepower must only illuminate with the tail lamps and may not be independent for use on the road. Any additional lamps of less than 300 candlepower must produce amber or yellow or white light.
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Are strobe lamps on my headlights and taillights legal?
Strobe lamps may only be utilized in operation on the road with a DMV issued permit that is issued only for specific reasons identified in Connecticut State Law Title 14 Sec. 14-96p and Sec. 14-96q. Since some parking lots are considered public access this prohibition would also apply. If your vehicle were used indoors at shows, the operation of strobe lamps at that location would not be regulated by the DMV.
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Is it legal to have hydraulic shocks to raise and lower the car?
No one has yet presented a hydraulic raising and lowering system on a vehicle that complies with Connecticut DMV Regulations Sec. 14-137-24 and 14-137-25 regarding automotive suspension systems. All hydraulic systems presented either eliminated the shock absorber or were attached to a portion of the vehicle structure that was too weak and both these types of installation would be prohibited.
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Are airbag shocks legal to raise and lower the car?
Various types of air suspension systems would be allowed to raise or lower a vehicle as long as the minimum ground clearance of four inches is maintained. The replacement components must also meet or exceed the quality and performance standards established by the vehicle manufacturer. The installation of the replacement components should not effect the safe operating characteristics of the vehicle.
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Are glass pack mufflers legal?
Per Sec. 14-80a-1a through 14-80a-10a of the DMV Regulations for "Glass Pack Mufflers" it is based on the loudness of the vehicle measured in accordance with the DMV Regulation. The loudness is affected not only by the mufflers utilized, but also by any engine modifications. There can be two different vehicles with the same exhaust system, however, they may have different engine modifications. One of the vehicles will pass the noise level measurement test and the other vehicle may not.
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What are the height requirements my car can be?
The height requirements are contained in DMV Regulations Sec. 14-137-25, which states “Height Adjustment Limitations."
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What is a composite vehicle?
A composite motor vehicle is by statute, "Any motor vehicle, composed or assembled from the several parts of other motor vehicles, or the identification and body contours of which are so altered that the vehicle no longer bears the characteristics of any specific make of motor vehicle." Therefore, any vehicle not assembled by a manufacturer licensed as such in the State of Connecticut is classified as a composite motor vehicle.
Before a compostie vehicle can be registered, it must pass a special composite vehicle inspection, which will be done in the Wethersfield DMV only. To schedule an appointment, please contact our Telephone Center.
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Can I tint my windows to black?
No. In accordance with Connecticut State Law Title 14 Sec. 14-99g, the side and rear windows may be tinted to the point where at least 35% light transmitted can still be transmitted through the window as darkened, provided that the reflectivity does not exceed 27% reflectivity.
Note: Persons with medical conditions can obtain a permit for tinted windows to the level where only 20% of the light transmitted thought the window is tinted. The windows to the rear of the driver on trucks, buses, multipurpose passenger vehicles or MPV's (a.k.a. SUV's), trailers and mobile manufactured homes are exempt from the light transmissibility requirements.
http://www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?A=801&Q=252796
Uncle Egg (Guest)
I'm fine with stopping anyone for any clear violation of CT motor vehicle law. I wish the laws regarding noise were a bit stronger and enforcable without a decibel meter.
How's this for a standard: If I can hear your music from the sidewalk it's too loud. And if your muffler makes your bike's exhaust system louder than it would be without the muffler, it's too loud and should be taken off the road.
New Haven Resident (Guest)
Do not forget: no brake lights, headlights out, cracked windshields, missing plates, expired plates, and ALL the traffic violations. I lived in cities that enacted policies like this and they cleaned up with incredible results and very quickly. We are living in a cesspool of violence and crime and these "small" issues cannot be ignored anymore.
Do not misjudge my intentions, I am a Huge fan of civil liberties, freedom, privacy, etc. I am not advocating giving up our rights to achieve some end. I am advocating enforcing the law from the petty issues on up. Just because there are bigger issues does not mean you can overlook what you believe to be petty crimes. It is the apathy toward the petty that leads to the major violations. It is like children testing their parents limits. They just keep testing until they hit something big. Then, they know they can get away with everything else. Unfortunately, in this case, everyone else suffers.
jerky (Guest)
I live here (Guest)
As stated by another there are laws that give us all certain rights. One of which is you can't have your car searched because your windows are too dark and you look creepy. We don't need the cops violating peoples rights. That will only serve for more lawsuits and the taxpayers will flip the bill for the eventual payouts to those violated.
Anonymous (Guest)
I live here -
Did you read the state law pasted above?
"Any vehicle with an after market tinted window must have a tint compliance sticker affixed to it by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Stickers may be affixed to vehicle windows which, when tested, have an allowable light transmittance of no less than 35 percent plus or minus three percent."
If you don't have a sticker, that's reason enough to be pulled over.
Ashley (Registered User)
Concerned Dad (Guest)
As far as I can tell, no one is saying that people should have their cars searched for NO reason. There are enough perfectly legal reasons to search a vehicle. Furthermore, there are plenty of existing laws in New Haven that could be enforced (that currently are not), many of which involve pulling people over. Then, take it from there.
It is past time to start cracking down on the small stuff and working our way up to the bigger issues. That doesn't mean ignoring the bigger issues; that means not ignoring the smaller issues because there are bigger issues. It is usually the apathy toward the little stuff that snowballs into an out-of-control problem, as seen here in New Haven. Imagine the insanity if this little town had a population of one million instead of 124,000.
Doug Hausladen (Registered User)
This Saturday the Downtown-Wooster Square Community Management Team and Wooster Square Watch are sponsoring a community planning meeting.
Results from the 2010 New Haven quality of life survey are now available and will be a terrific indicator of the areas of focus for improving the quality of life in our neighborhood.
Please join us!
Saturday, May 8th
8:30 am -- 12 pm
(coffee and refreshments provided)
Conte Hills School Cafeteria
I hope many of you can make it to think strategically as a group about how we as citizens can make a difference in the neighborhood within our broader mission of safety through awareness and prevention.
See you there!
twitter.com/dwscmt
http://groups.google.com/group/DWSCMT
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
I agree that we need greater enforcement of these issues because they do lead, whether directly or indirectly, to far more serious problems (more violent crimes, loss of jobs/tax base, poor health, poor school performance, among others).
The effort to address these should be at least as comprehensive as the city's current effort to address teacher performance, especially given that the overall living environment arguably has a much greater impact on student performance than any characteristic having to do with the schools.
still livin here despite it (Guest)
NO RESPECT FOR OTHERS is what it comes down to. I can't think of any other town around connecticut that tolerates this type of behavour.
Anonymous (Guest)
Amen.
let's talk too about what happens when you call in a crime. PD keeps lambasting the public saying they need us to call in, to help. But it is amazing how little they do when you cooperate by calling in.
A detective is just sitting on an incredibly easy case to solve -- I know about this case, right now, as I write this. He just complains about his job all the time and has yet to do this one simple task that would close the case.
In another instance - You call in and they yell at you that they can't find a pen, or lost the info you sent them, and demanding, not asking, you to give it to them again. Stuff like that, I mean, it's nuts.
And I hear stories like it from others all the time.
Once in a while you get a really good cop who follows through quickly, consistently, over time on many calls and that's when you realize, all the excuses from these other cops are just that, excuses.
By far the laziest police force of any place I've ever lived.
R (Guest)
New Havenite (Guest)
E (Registered User)
http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_haven_cty/new-haven-teen-laid-to-rest
At this funeral yesterday, after it led out, the sidewalk flooded with supporters and mourners for the teen. RIP by the way. Anyway, present were two cop cars on either side of the church - on Church street. There is a light right at this church....people IN the street hugging, shaking hands, greetings, etc. Lights turn green and we cant proceed through the light because of all the people in the street (about 100 of them). We had to toot a couple of times to get them to move and we actually only got to proceed once the light turned yellow - when a thin path was created. No other cars were able to proceed at all. We were in front.
Where were the cops to help the progression of traffic and getting people to move out of the street? In their respective cars just sitting there playing on their cells.
Further proof our cops hard at work.
City of New Haven (Verified Official)
Closed Manager of Operations, Process Improvement - Transportation, Traffic, & Parking (Verified Official)