Shouldn’t all residents of the City of Danbury have a local police department that provides safety and security for all?
Monday, May 21, 2007
By Lynn Taborsak,
Danbury Common Council, At Large (D)
On Thursday, May 17th, a delegation of Danbury residents traveled to New Haven to meet with Police Chief Francisco Ortiz, Sergeant Luiz Casanova, District Manager for the Fair Haven Substation, Kica Matos, , Director of Community Services. Sean Matteson, Chief of Staff for Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and leaders of New Haven’s Latino community. We came away with a good understanding of why New Haven has been named an “All American City” by the National Civic League, not once, but twice, since 1998. They resoundingly deserve the “Nobel Prize” for good citizenship.
We went specifically to learn about their nationally recognized community policing initiative and Chief Ortiz’s 2006 General Order concerning citizenship status and enforcement of federal immigration laws. New Haven’s General Order was modeled after the very successful immigration policy of the City of Houston.
In New Haven, the goal of the General Order is to provide for the safety and security of all community residents, regardless of their immigration status, and the results have been dramatic. There has been an 18% reduction in crime in the Fair Haven district, home to the city’s 12,000 undocumented immigrants. Community policing and strong involvement with community organizations empower neighborhoods to stand up to crime and criminal activity where they live.
Chief Ortiz explained that he requires three things of his officers: a commitment to the community, both on duty and off duty; good communication skills that can help diffuse volatile situations and resolve problems; and the courage to be a moral authority in the community and stand up to injustice.
New Haven joins 9 other major cities in protecting all residents and their property without regard to immigration status. But it’s not carte blanche for criminals! You will be arrested for breaking the law. Shouldn’t all residents of the City of Danbury have a local police department that provides safety and security for all?
Danbury Common Council, At Large (D)
On Thursday, May 17th, a delegation of Danbury residents traveled to New Haven to meet with Police Chief Francisco Ortiz, Sergeant Luiz Casanova, District Manager for the Fair Haven Substation, Kica Matos, , Director of Community Services. Sean Matteson, Chief of Staff for Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and leaders of New Haven’s Latino community. We came away with a good understanding of why New Haven has been named an “All American City” by the National Civic League, not once, but twice, since 1998. They resoundingly deserve the “Nobel Prize” for good citizenship.
We went specifically to learn about their nationally recognized community policing initiative and Chief Ortiz’s 2006 General Order concerning citizenship status and enforcement of federal immigration laws. New Haven’s General Order was modeled after the very successful immigration policy of the City of Houston.
In New Haven, the goal of the General Order is to provide for the safety and security of all community residents, regardless of their immigration status, and the results have been dramatic. There has been an 18% reduction in crime in the Fair Haven district, home to the city’s 12,000 undocumented immigrants. Community policing and strong involvement with community organizations empower neighborhoods to stand up to crime and criminal activity where they live.
Chief Ortiz explained that he requires three things of his officers: a commitment to the community, both on duty and off duty; good communication skills that can help diffuse volatile situations and resolve problems; and the courage to be a moral authority in the community and stand up to injustice.
New Haven joins 9 other major cities in protecting all residents and their property without regard to immigration status. But it’s not carte blanche for criminals! You will be arrested for breaking the law. Shouldn’t all residents of the City of Danbury have a local police department that provides safety and security for all?
3 Comments:
Do you have a news link on this too?
commented by 
BillT, 2:53 PM
BillT, 2:53 PM
Also, when did this happen?
On Thursday, May 17th
