Description
"Sharp has instructed his officers to take your visible valuables from your car before the bad guys do, making use of a search warrant exception that allows them to do it."
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/east_rock_car_break_ins#cmt
This is outrageous. How about the police concentrate on catching the criminals breaking in to cars? Violating our right to privacy, making us go through an ordeal in order to get our own property back, chastising us like children, and potentially selling our illegaly confiscated property for profit? Really?
65 Comments
Jumping Jehossafatg (Guest)
Sounds like a new money junket , an idea from some stay at home mom/reporter in East Rock ..
..Maybe a "nothing new here folks" , something they been doing for a while huh ?
-We have seen and documented the Traffic and Parking outfit taking apart and leaving on the ground their signs because some bike supposedly was either left too long there or somehow blocking a pedestrians path who may or may not have been exiting a said vehicle etc etc..
- So we saw the cops at shindigs tooting their horns big time whilst standing over bikes they have in lockup.Charity and giveaway events..
-Yes i am in a bad mood..
- Hi Police , i lost some belongings and i'm wondering if you guys might have them at the Police HQ ? Uhh yeah right picture that.
THF (Registered User)
http://www3.ce9.uscourts.gov/jury-instructions/node/153
XYZ (Registered User)
neighbor (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
neighbor (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
"Sharp said they will run the plate number of the car to try to reach the owner. If they can’t, the police will take the property, lock the car door and leave a receipt informing them who has the item and what time to come and pick it up". Sharp is the police district manager for the East Rock area.
How can this be considered stealing when they are trying to contact the owner and are willing to give the property back to the rightful owner.
neighbor (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
neighbor (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
I rather have the police take my stuff then the criminals.
neighbor (Guest)
guest (Guest)
guest (Guest)
XYZ - that is not "the law" those are jury instructions used in the 9th circuit, which is a circuit on the west coast. the law is the fourth amendment. the caretaker exception is not a statute passed by the legislature, it has been carved out by the courts in case decisions over many years where the courts have recognized exceptions to the warrant requirement under the fourth amendment, case by case.
None of the case law addressing the caretaker exception resembles this program in New Haven, none of them come even close. I have never seen it pushed this far and am dead sure it is not the law, is not legal and that the courts would shut it down at the first opportunity. Which begs the question as to why the chief is attempting it. Our chief happens to be a lawyer, after all. What's his agenda? Protecting the purse you left in your car? I rather doubt that.
neighbor (Guest)
Fred C. (Guest)
The NHPD Dept's Property room has lost lots of money and much more in the way of drugs..
Sadly it was quite a few more than ,"A few bad apples".
..That's an awful lot of police work for the blue ; Inspecting cars , writing down plate numbers and locating the owners, trying to call them , (opening the lap top and phone for "clues" in regards to the attempt to contact the owner..Leaving notes . .Calling the wagon or a special van for aforementioned goods..
For a department that takes over 3 hours to answer a call , has no time for bike stuff, CAN'T and WONT give an accident report to anybody
XYZ (Registered User)
guest (Guest)
You can't go around suspending the fourth amendment for a mere crime prevention program.
I am dying of curiosity to know who in the city OK'd this foolishness. It doesn't reflect well on the intelligence of anyone in city government who went along with it. They are making fools of themselves. This is just another example of the ability of this police chief at times to slip into bizarre stuff, either emotionally or intellectually or otherwise. It is an embarrassment.
XYZ, you don't seem to care a wit for our duty as citizens to protect our rights under the constitution. Just because an initiative seems to have good intentions and may prevent some crimes doesn't cure, or forgive a permanent erosion of a constitutional right. If these rights were not the foundation of our democracy who would care? But it happens that they are. You can't allow government actors to engage in activities that would erode those rights, period. Your a silly person if you don't know that - it's basic civics.
neighbor (Guest)
guest (Guest)
yes, i succumbed. apologies. it is very frustrating. notice, chief was out of two recently at the latest conclave of chiefs -- is this a pattern? Perhaps next time we read he is about to take off to one of these things, we should send a hallmark card saying "don't come home with any crazy ideas." residents are yet again made to feel like guinea pigs.
and i can't help thinking that his gender and his uniform tend to disguise his being off his rocker at times: his maudlin community policing lectures comparing police to the neighborhood doctor, his meltdown at the Yale Bowl, this very attention-getting, very intrusive foray to the very edges of the galaxy on fourth amendment exceptions.
This latest thing suggests just a manifold of emotional, personal and intellectual motivations to me.Call it poor judgment, whatever, under the skin, I see a lot of weird.
XYZ (Registered User)
Chiquita Juanita (Guest)
anony (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
Closed New Haven Resident (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
guest (Guest)
Don't you know, XYZ, that the caretaker exception, if it applied to this program -- and thank god it doesn't -- would give the police the right to read all your messages, take down all your cell data, phone numbers,contacts etc? Once the exception kicks in ALL your property is subject to search. That means two things - if you are a crook, any criminal evidence there, they are free to act on. If you are law abiding, the scoop-up is in the form of intelligence and data about you. They want intelligence. They like getting it.
the chief is a lawyer - either he is 1) completely loony toons, 2) a predator when it comes to violating our rights who did this program on purpose to shake us up, knowing it wouldn't fly or 3) he is negligent about guiding his officers, being there for them before they try things like this and make fools of themselves.
guest (Guest)
neighbor (Guest)
neighbor (Guest)
Oh, I can't edit that, and I notice that the link is to the Independent and not the Register.. so, here's the one to the Register for the current day:
http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20151104/new-haven-ends-cop-caretaker-program-of-taking-items-for-safekeeping-from-unlocked-cars-after-1-day
XYZ (Registered User)
guest (Guest)
Reopened XYZ (Registered User)
Closed THF (Registered User)
Local Yokel (Registered User)
Until you people (East Rock Yalie types) learn to look after your own possesions, I guess the cops will have to do it for you.
Stop being such easy targets for theft, first and foremost.
guest (Guest)
Reopened XYZ (Registered User)
"Sharp said they will run the plate number of the car to try to reach the owner. If they can’t, the police will take the property, lock the car door and leave a receipt informing them who has the item and what time to come and pick it up". Sharp is the police district manager for East Rock.
You can see from this statement that the police would try and contact the owner,if they could not then they would hold the property for the owner before it is stolen. The police are only trying to prevent burglaries. Here we have a neighborhood that has an increase in car burglaries, leave their cars unlock with valuables in view,and complains when the police try to help. I won't shed a tear when I hear of car burglaries in your area.
XYZ (Registered User)
Closed Meg (Registered User)
neighbor (Guest)
neighbor (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
neighbor (Guest)
Reopened XYZ (Registered User)
Every profession has some bad apples. Let me know if you know of one which doesn't.
There are some bad doctors but does that mean we do not trust all of them?
Lt Sparks who I do not know attempts to be proactive to correct a problem I feel should show some support instead the opposite happens.This one of the reasons for my posts and his idea would help the problem. It would not stop all the burglaries but I feel it would prevent some.
Closed Meg (Registered User)
neighbor (Guest)
I'm going to post a coment with my 'thanks', because I have to think that this thread on this site was helpful in bringing the issue to the attention of some social activists who know what to do when both 'authorities' and other 'citizens' try subtly to trample on our rights.
This is thanks that this program is dropped before Esserman had to deal with some major lawsuits.
btw.. I sign as 'neighbor' because I am. I'm aware of the ongoing issues in the neighborhood. What is supposed to happen is that the police make sure nobody is going into your car or on your porch. Community policing means your neighborhood patrol cop knows his neighborhood and its people, and is protecting your goods by paying attention to 'suspicious behavior',, and, if Block Watch is active then the people themselves are looking out for each other too. If there is a theft, then it gets reported and investigated promptly, and the culprits are caught and punished. Then word goes out that that neighborhood is too risky to play in. .. You might even try a sting. leave something out on purpose and watch it,, and see who picks it up.. and get right on them. Then word goes out that that Block Watch is right on top of things.
XYZ (Registered User)
1. See personal property in an unlock vehicle
2. Try and locate owner from the plate number.
3. If unable to locate owner remove property and store it in a safe place so the owner can reclaim it.
Does this warrant all the criticism they received? The man from mars must be looking down and saying, "these people from earth are hard to please".
Still Waiting (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
Reopened Joseph H. (Guest)
After one has given a monetary sacrifice of some sort are they diligent and aware.
XYZ (Registered User)
Robb Steel (Guest)
Citizen Jane (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
Guest form East Rock (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
Joseph H. (Guest)
Jaundiced ? You must have left your ramen noodles at the med school
XYZ (Registered User)
guest (Guest)
XYZ (Registered User)
Special Guest East Rocker (Guest)
But were supposed to believe they will miraculously appear the second one leaves a valuable in their "unlocked" vehicle ..
Then what ,take the cars or suv's fancy rims because no lock was visible ?
- What to make of my posts ?
Truth hurts , right is right , ridiculous as this proposal ..
By the way , Officer Sharp looks familiar , was he a delivery guy ?
guest (Guest)
Special Guest East Rocker (Guest)
p.s. that St.Patrick's Day incident is disturbing
XYZ (Registered User)
Closed Manager of Operations, Process Improvement - Transportation, Traffic, & Parking (Verified Official)