01/23/2005

CHIEF UNDER FIRE

Spate of shootings, son’s woes cast shadow

William Kaempffer and Angela Carter , Register Staff
NEW HAVEN — In the wake of a spate of police-involved shootings, dwindling support from City Hall and a brewing mutiny among his rank-and-file, Police Chief Francisco Ortiz Jr. is under fire like never before in his two-year tenure. Consider what’s happened in just the past few weeks:

Ortiz’s officers have scheduled a "no confidence" vote in their boss on Thursday.

His son, Francisco Ortiz, was twice arrested on drug charges in Hamden, in 2001 and 2002, the Register reported last week. The younger Ortiz is a recruit in the city’s police training academy.

And the elder Ortiz, the appointee of Mayor John DeStefano Jr., recently told members of the Board of Aldermen that the mayor gave him an ultimatum: Remember who you work for or there could be changes come February. The flap is apparently over how the police-related shootings will be independently investigated.

DeStefano and Ortiz, whose contract expires February 2006, both deny there are any tensions between them.

DeStefano, through a spokesman, has publicly expressed support for the chief.

Other sources inside City Hall and the police department, however, paint a dramatically different picture.

The chief and mayor never enjoyed a close relationship, but the police-related shootings in the fall apparently caused further erosion of their relationship.

A police shooting near a playground Oct. 11 was almost immediately followed by two fatal police shootings on Nov. 8 and Dec. 16, angering DeStefano, who is in the midst of a gubernatorial run.

In total, eight police-involved shootings occurred in 2004.

Additionally, Ortiz — who was sworn in as chief on June 3, 2003 — and DeStefano had to announce last month that the city’s crime rate rose for the first time in almost a decade.

After the Dec. 16 shooting, Ortiz and several aldermen worked on a resolution to create an independent task force to review police officer training in relation to the use of deadly force. However, when the Board of Aldermen voted on the matter Jan. 3, Ortiz submitted a letter to the panel opposing the task force.

DeStefano was against it and pressured the chief to withdraw his blessing, sources said. The pressure was accompanied by the ultimatum from the mayor.

The aldermen approved creating the task force anyway, 19-8.

DeStefano, through his spokesman, Derek Slap, refused to be interviewed on this matter, but he denied there is a rift.

"Part of the reason the mayor did not favor the task force is his faith in the chief," Slap said.

Ortiz, who wrote the letter to the Board of Aldermen in consultation with the mayor’s Acting Chief Administrative Officer Jennifer Pugh, said he was under no pressure from City Hall and he was given no ultimatum.

"People seem to be running amok with things," said Ortiz, calling the accusations "foolish" and "destructive."

Ortiz supporters say the chief is doing the best he can with limited resources — the department’s budget is the tightest in years and much of the internal criticism is generated by disgruntled cops who have either been disciplined or transferred.

Alderman Yusuf Shah, D-23, the chairman of the board’s Public Safety Committee, said he also opposed the task force and instead favored public discussions through committee hearings and workshops.

"I haven’t heard anything about any dismay," Shah said. "I think Chief Ortiz is doing the best he can with what he has."

Ortiz said he believed reports of tension between his office and the mayor are in part, a response to disciplinary suspensions of officers.

These accounts put him in an awkward position in which, Ortiz said, "if I don’t respond, they must be true and if I do respond I must be lying." RAPID DESCENT

Less than two years ago, Ortiz’ future seemed headed in the right direction.

He was the city’s first Hispanic police chief, succeeding Melvin H. Wearing, who retired. A 27-year veteran, Ortiz rose through the ranks and many in the city lauded his selection as a bright day in the city.

But the chief never enjoyed widespread support from the rank-and-file.

Early in his tenure, police began referring to the end of the workweek as Black Friday — a term that Ortiz even occasionally used — because that was when the chief had assignment transfers dropped off in cops’ mailboxes.

He has revived that practice and last week ordered the popular Lt. William White out of the narcotics division.

"How do you do that to a 36-year veteran and not have the decency to say it to his face," said one longtime member of the department.

Some cops are also upset because they believe that Ortiz questioned tactics and training of police involved in shootings before independent investigations were completed. State police investigations are ongoing.

The situation has some officers reluctant to confront drug dealers on street corners and do other basic police work because they fear the chief won’t back them up or will transfer them. "No one can work because everyone is afraid tomorrow they’ll be the next to go," the source said.

It also doesn’t help morale that a tight budget has led to short staffing and next to no overtime, issues out of Ortiz’s control.

Many department employees also bristle at Ortiz’s heavy-handed managerial style, sources said. The chief’s supporters say it is because he demands accountability. His detractors say they cannot count on Ortiz to support them and he is "vindictive" toward those who are out of favor.

City police union President Sgt. Louis Cavalier said the morale among the rank-and-file is at a "big low" right now.

"People are not happy with how things are running right now," he said.

"Morale is low and the reason morale can get low is when (officers) don’t feel the chief is supporting them out on the street."

Thursday’s scheduled "no confidence" vote on Ortiz’s leadership wouldn’t compel any action against the chief, but it would send a message to City Hall about the turmoil in the department.

FAMILY FEUD Adding fuel to the fire is an apparent rift between the chief and Assistant Chief Bryan Norwood.

Numerous sources say Ortiz and Norwood got into a heated argument in the chief’s office Jan. 6. The chief and assistant chief, however, denied the incident occurred. Norwood, through a spokeswoman, said there was no problem between him and the chief.

Sources said the eruption apparently happened after Norwood heard that Ortiz had told a subordinate that City Hall was dissatisfied with the assistant chief’s performance.

"From what I’m hearing, it was an out-and-out blowout," said Cavalier.

Ortiz described his relationship with Norwood as "just fine."

After Ortiz formally tapped Norwood as assistant chief, Ortiz almost immediately created a new position — in essence a de facto chief of staff — and named Sgt. Sam Cotto, who was once one of the chief’s closest confidantes, to the post. The move was viewed by many in the department as an attempt to undermine Norwood.

Cavalier has noticed that Norwood has less authority than previous assistant chiefs, even in routine situations.

"When I do talk to him, he has to run everything by the chief — even on little issues," said Cavalier, who routinely brings labor issues to the chief’s office.

In past administrations, the union has been able to resolve many of them at the assistant chief’s level.

"As a union (official), it makes it very difficult for me to work. There’s occasions when I do go in to see the assistant chief, most times he’ll say he has to get back to me," said Cavalier.

"What’s the point in having as assistant chief when he doesn’t have the authority to do anything?"

Norwood’s supporters inside the department wish he had a more active role.

Meanwhile, Norwood is one of 10 finalists for the police chief position in Little Rock, Ark. According to a report in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the first round of interviews should take place by the end of January, with out-of-state candidates being interviewed by teleconference.

The situation prompted one high-ranking official who works closely with the department to remark that "Bryan was promoted into oblivion."

Angela Carter can be reached at acarter@nhregister.com , or 789-5614.

William Kaempffer can be reached at 789-5727 or wkaempffer@nhregister.com.

İNew Haven Register 2005