Pubdate: Sat, 12 Apr 2014
Source: Herald, The (CT)
Copyright: 2014 The Herald
Contact:  http://www.newbritainherald.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/188
Author: Lisa Backus, Staff Writer

EPIDEMIC: NEW BRITAIN POLICE FOCUS ON STREET-LEVEL DEALERS IN FIGHT
AGAINST HEROIN

NEW BRITAIN - Xiomara Gonzalez was "dope sick" by the time she was
interviewed by the bail commissioner about her arrest last week on
charges she was carrying nearly $16,000 worth of heroin.

City detectives had the 25-year-old Hartford resident in their sights
after receiving two tips she was selling drugs in New Britain on a
regular basis.

Her arrest, which also led to the seizure of cocaine and a gun,
yielded one of the largest quantities of heroin since the police
department changed its enforcement tactics in July 2012.

"There is value in bringing in the individuals who are at the higher
levels," said Capt. Thomas Steck, commander of the Criminal
Investigation Division, including the Special Services Unit, which
handles vice complaints and illegal drugs. "But the majority of our
complaints are in the neighborhoods where people are street-dealing.
We've decided to direct our investigations to the neighborhoods so we
can bring the quality of life up for residents." The shift in focus
has brought benefits reaching far beyond charging small dealers for
hand-to-hand street transactions and for selling out of their apartments.

Since July 2012, when former top detective James Wardwell was named
interim police chief, violent crimes have declined in nearly every
category - from murders to robberies to burglaries - in part because
his officers have focused on responding to neighborhood complaints of
drug dealing.

But Wardwell, a 20-year veteran of the police department, acknowledges
he's been watching drugs take a toll on residents throughout his
career, and enforcement can only go so far in terms of stemming the
flow of overdoses and drug abuse in a city of 70,000-plus residents.

"First you see people destroy their lives, then you see people lose
their lives to an accidental overdose," he said. "It is almost always
accidental, and it's senseless."

Taking it to the streets

In 2011, prior to Wardwell's tenure as chief, the Special Services
Unit netted 31,775 packets of heroin, 36 pounds of marijuana and more
than 1,000 grams of powder and crack cocaine. But crime was on the
increase.

By May 2012, the city already had three murders and was expecting a
bloody summer, with a spike in gang activity due to the killings of
two high-level Los Solidos leaders.

Within days of his appointment, Wardwell and his captains - Thomas and
William Steck - the latter heads the Patrol Division - and Dennis
Beatty, the recently retired captain who brought the city back from a
rash of gang murders in the 1990s, devised a plan to combine
continuous strikes on low-level dealers with an increased presence at
community events to prevent violence. A city officer also continued
working with a statewide narcotics task force dealing with high-level
drug sales in the region.

While figures culled from monthly Police Commission reports show the
amount of drugs seized is down - the Special Services Unit confiscated
about a quarter of the illegal drugs in 2013 that they did in 2011 -
the number of raids they have executed has increased more than 30
percent, from 75 to 114.

More importantly, the murder rate has dropped - from three in 2012 to
one in 2013. Robberies are also down - from 180 to 112, and burglaries
are down, from 785 to 624. Although that may be a result of a national
downward trend in crime, Steck said, it's also likely a product of
increased police activity. "Narcotics enforcement is one tool in the
tool box," Steck said. "It all part of making the climate in New
Britain unfavorable for drug dealing."

Rather than going after bigger dealers, Steck and the unit - often
with help from the Greater New Britain Shooting Task Force - has been
executing search warrants on street dealers and apartments, sweeping
up heroin, cocaine, marijuana, guns and cash generated by the drug
trade.

"When I first came on as a police officer, this is how I saw Dennis
(Beatty) addressed violent crime and gangs," Steck said. "It worked
back then, I think it's working now."

Despite the successes, the work is still challenging. After several
well-publicized raids in late 2012, areas of the city were still hot
spots for drug and gun activity. Police responded with a sweep based
on a four-month investigation which involved controlled drug buys from
120 individuals. There were 72 arrests during a two-day span in April
2013.

Officers also continue to show their presence at community functions.
Wardwell regularly speaks to local groups, including a discussion
Friday with the head of a charitable organization regarding the impact
heroin is having on the city.

Steck was also quick to credit the patrol division, which has staged
directed traffic enforcement. As police make additional drug arrests
during motor vehicle stops, violent activity is quelled. "We are going
neighborhood by neighborhood," Steck said. "We are using neighborhood
policing and responding to complaints to bring up the quality of life
in those areas."

An earlier story in this series is available at NewBritainHerald.com.
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