There were some heated moments at the Hartford City Council meeting focused on city police on Wednesday.
Hartford residents let their feelings be known, with top brass sitting nearby.
“There’s clearly something broken with this system. It’s not a case of bad apples. There is something rotted at the root,” said one resident.
The department’s leaders were called to answer questions from city councilors, which turned tough especially when it came to community relations and diversity in the ranks.
“I think we have a disagreement regarding what diversity actually is,” said Hartford City Councilor TJ Clarke, (D)
This has been a challenging time for the department after a string of scandals.
One sergeant was accused of doing drugs on the job. Another officer was caught on video telling a group of young people not to flee because he was “trigger happy.”
The chief told NBC Connecticut it’s important to listen to community concerns and he defended his department.
“It’s part of our healing process as a city. Any organization has a lot of work to do. We have a lot of work to do as a police department. By in large, I think we do a great job in the city,” said Chief David Rosado of the Hartford Police Department.
Despite some fiery talk, people left optimistic.
“I think it’s a step. It’s a very necessary step,” said City Councilor Fox (WFP).
The chief says they will be looking at improving the department, including possible changes to policies.
