Complete Annual Report 2020 - English - Flipbook - Page 10
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Responding to Crisis & Preventing Violence Together
In 2020, HPD’s reliance on community partnerships
was greater than ever. With the unique challenges of the
COVID-19 pandemic and unusually high levels of gun
violence, which mirrored an increase in gun violence
across the country, HPD relied on its many relationships
to make the Community safer.
Among the many community partnerships with the
Hartford Police Department, both Mothers United
Against Violence (MUAV) and COMPASS Peacebuilders played a key role in 2020. Both groups worked directly with HPD on violence prevention strategies in the
Community and provided a visible and effective presence on the street.
COMPASS Peacebuilders took an active role in de-escalating conflicts and in youth outreach and support efforts.
Peacebuilders focused on being present in “hot spots” throughout some of the City’s neighborhoods that were
most affected by gun violence. This presence, coupled with their work to decrease retaliatory gun violence, was a
great example of police/community partnerships having a positive impact on the City.
Mothers United Against Violence continued their work to support families that have been affected by violence and
to prevent further violence. Using a faith-based approach to reducing gun violence and instances of retaliation,
MUAV has been a constant force in the Community and partner to HPD. MUAV has greatly helped to increase
trust between HPD and community by encouraging cooperation with investigations and supporting those that
have suffered due to gun violence
WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT
Organizational Climate Assessment
In 2019, Chief Thody requested that researchers from Westfield State University and the University of Rhode Island conduct an internal Organizational Climate Assessment concerning the work environment within the Hartford Police Department. The Planning and Accreditation Division served as a primary resource for the researchers
while they conducted their work, which culminated in the release of their final report on August 31, 2020.
The assessment made seventy-four (74) recommendations
based on the findings of the researchers. The Planning
and Accreditation Division was tasked with reviewing
the report and recommendations, and developing a plan
for next steps. Each recommendation has been referred
to appropriate personnel within the Department, with fifteen (15) of them being assigned directly to Planning and
Accreditation. Those recommendations included things
such as various policy revisions, identifying opportunities to obtain employee feedback when implementing
new policies, and establishing a performance evaluation
program for all employees.
Since the recommendations were assigned to department
personnel, progress has been made toward implementation. A performance evaluation program has been developed and is currently in the software procurement stage. The program is expected to go live later this year. Other
recommendation driven projects include the roll out of recent training programs in the areas of cultural competency and diversity, as well as supervisor-specific leadership training. All sworn members of the Hartford Police
Department were required to complete the new cultural competency and diversity program by March 31, 2021.
The supervisor-specific leadership training program is scheduled for all HPD supervisors in April of 2021.
Approximately 40% of the recommendations in the report have been implemented or were within current operations. An additional 41% of recommendations are currently in the implementation process. The Department will
release a status report on our response to the recommendations to correspond with the one year anniversary of
the Climate Assessment’s release.
Link to the 2020 Organizational Climate Assessment:
https://www.powerdms.com/public/HARTPD/tree/documents/2156564
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