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A Father's Good Deed Earns Him Bruises, Apology
http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/hcgooddeed0422.artapr22,0,5233805.story
April 22, 2004
By MATT BURGARD, Courant Staff Writer
When John Minter found a sawed-off shotgun in the closet of his teenage son's bedroom Tuesday, he briefly thought about taking the weapon and tossing it into the Connecticut River.
But he knew the right thing to do was to take it to the police department, so he did.
Hartford police, in turn, showed their appreciation by arresting and cuffing him, taking him on what became a bruising ride to headquarters and then keeping him in a holding cell until they realized their mistake.
By Wednesday afternoon, Minter, 60, was talking to his lawyer and receiving an apologetic phone call from acting Police Chief Mark R. Pawlina, who said he was just as upset as Minter at what happened.
"One of the most important keys to our ability to be an effective police agency is to make sure we have a positive relationship with the community based on trust," Pawlina said. "This will be thoroughly investigated."
Minter said he was grateful for the chief's apology, but was skeptical that the public would ever truly feel comfortable cooperating with police.
"The police are always saying we should turn in the guns, turn to them when we learn about crime going on, then something like this happens," Minter said. "I felt good that the chief called me, but I'm still upset about what happened."
According to accounts provided by Minter and Pawlina, the incident began when Minter showed up at police headquarters about 4 p.m. Tuesday to report the shotgun and shells found in his 16-year-old son's closet. Minter, of Bloomfield, said he retrieved the weapon after his ex-wife, who lives in Hartford with their son, called to say she had found the gun and asked him to get it.
At police headquarters, Minter said, he encountered a Hartford officer in front of the building who agreed to take the weapon. The officer told Minter he was doing the right thing and thanked him for turning the weapon in.
Minter then left police headquarters and went home. About two hours later, he received a visit from Hartford Officer Maurice Washington and a Bloomfield police officer. Pawlina said it appears Washington was sent to Minter's home by a patrol supervisor who wanted more information about the gun, but the visit turned tense.
Minter said Washington asked him why he left police headquarters after turning in the weapon, and indicated that Minter may have broken the law by possessing it. Washington and the Bloomfield officer, who has not been identified, walked into Minter's home, asking him if there were any other weapons in the house, Minter said.
"That really upset me, and I told them that they were violating my rights by coming into the house," Minter said.
That's when he was arrested.
Washington cuffed Minter's hands behind his back and said he was being charged with interfering with police. Minter then was placed in the back of Washington's police cruiser. The back seat is a hard-shell plastic seat that makes it easy for someone to slide when the car is making turns.
As the Hartford cruiser headed back to Hartford, Washington received a radio report about another officer needing assistance on Enfield Street, several blocks away. The cruiser was near the I-91 overpass on Jennings Road, about a block from headquarters.
Washington decided to drive to the scene on Enfield Street, accelerating to over 60 mph at some points, Minter said. Minter, who was not belted in, was tossed from one side of the back seat to another, his handcuffed wrists were twisted and his back banged against the side doors, he said. Washington wasn't needed on Enfield Street so he went to police headquarters to book Minter. On the way, Minter said, Washington stopped the cruiser and loosened the cuffs, which were making Minter's arms numb.
"The whole way all he kept saying was how disrespectful I was to the police," he said. "He was very rude."
Minter spent more than two hours in the police holding cell before a booking sergeant looked over the paperwork on the arrest and released Minter on a promise to appear in court.
Minter said he was treated at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center late Tuesday for bruises on his back and injuries on his wrist, that requires a brace. The handcuffs also caused cuts as he was bounced around in the back seat.
City police investigated the handling of the arrest Wednesday and, by the end of the Pawlina had decided to apologize to Minter.
"We made a mistake and we need to own up to that and take action," the chief said. "The supervisors in this case did a good job identifying the shortcomings here, and hopefully we can learn from this."
Pawlina said police have asked prosecutors in Superior Court in Hartford to drop the charge against Minter, which is expected to happen today.
Washington, who has been on the job for less than five years, is facing possible disciplinary action if a hearing shows that he improperly arrested Minter and then subjected him to an unnecessary ride to Enfield Street, Pawlina said.
Pawlina said the decision to arrest Minter and then divert the drive to headquarters may not have been technical violations of department policy, but showed poor judgment.
"Here we had a guy who was trying to work with us to get a gun off the street, and it doesn't look like he was treated very well for it," he said.
http://www.ctnow.com/news/local/hcgooddeed0422.artapr22,0,5233805.story
April 22, 2004
By MATT BURGARD, Courant Staff Writer
When John Minter found a sawed-off shotgun in the closet of his teenage son's bedroom Tuesday, he briefly thought about taking the weapon and tossing it into the Connecticut River.
But he knew the right thing to do was to take it to the police department, so he did.
Hartford police, in turn, showed their appreciation by arresting and cuffing him, taking him on what became a bruising ride to headquarters and then keeping him in a holding cell until they realized their mistake.
By Wednesday afternoon, Minter, 60, was talking to his lawyer and receiving an apologetic phone call from acting Police Chief Mark R. Pawlina, who said he was just as upset as Minter at what happened.
"One of the most important keys to our ability to be an effective police agency is to make sure we have a positive relationship with the community based on trust," Pawlina said. "This will be thoroughly investigated."
Minter said he was grateful for the chief's apology, but was skeptical that the public would ever truly feel comfortable cooperating with police.
"The police are always saying we should turn in the guns, turn to them when we learn about crime going on, then something like this happens," Minter said. "I felt good that the chief called me, but I'm still upset about what happened."
According to accounts provided by Minter and Pawlina, the incident began when Minter showed up at police headquarters about 4 p.m. Tuesday to report the shotgun and shells found in his 16-year-old son's closet. Minter, of Bloomfield, said he retrieved the weapon after his ex-wife, who lives in Hartford with their son, called to say she had found the gun and asked him to get it.
At police headquarters, Minter said, he encountered a Hartford officer in front of the building who agreed to take the weapon. The officer told Minter he was doing the right thing and thanked him for turning the weapon in.
Minter then left police headquarters and went home. About two hours later, he received a visit from Hartford Officer Maurice Washington and a Bloomfield police officer. Pawlina said it appears Washington was sent to Minter's home by a patrol supervisor who wanted more information about the gun, but the visit turned tense.
Minter said Washington asked him why he left police headquarters after turning in the weapon, and indicated that Minter may have broken the law by possessing it. Washington and the Bloomfield officer, who has not been identified, walked into Minter's home, asking him if there were any other weapons in the house, Minter said.
"That really upset me, and I told them that they were violating my rights by coming into the house," Minter said.
That's when he was arrested.
Washington cuffed Minter's hands behind his back and said he was being charged with interfering with police. Minter then was placed in the back of Washington's police cruiser. The back seat is a hard-shell plastic seat that makes it easy for someone to slide when the car is making turns.
As the Hartford cruiser headed back to Hartford, Washington received a radio report about another officer needing assistance on Enfield Street, several blocks away. The cruiser was near the I-91 overpass on Jennings Road, about a block from headquarters.
Washington decided to drive to the scene on Enfield Street, accelerating to over 60 mph at some points, Minter said. Minter, who was not belted in, was tossed from one side of the back seat to another, his handcuffed wrists were twisted and his back banged against the side doors, he said. Washington wasn't needed on Enfield Street so he went to police headquarters to book Minter. On the way, Minter said, Washington stopped the cruiser and loosened the cuffs, which were making Minter's arms numb.
"The whole way all he kept saying was how disrespectful I was to the police," he said. "He was very rude."
Minter spent more than two hours in the police holding cell before a booking sergeant looked over the paperwork on the arrest and released Minter on a promise to appear in court.
Minter said he was treated at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center late Tuesday for bruises on his back and injuries on his wrist, that requires a brace. The handcuffs also caused cuts as he was bounced around in the back seat.
City police investigated the handling of the arrest Wednesday and, by the end of the Pawlina had decided to apologize to Minter.
"We made a mistake and we need to own up to that and take action," the chief said. "The supervisors in this case did a good job identifying the shortcomings here, and hopefully we can learn from this."
Pawlina said police have asked prosecutors in Superior Court in Hartford to drop the charge against Minter, which is expected to happen today.
Washington, who has been on the job for less than five years, is facing possible disciplinary action if a hearing shows that he improperly arrested Minter and then subjected him to an unnecessary ride to Enfield Street, Pawlina said.
Pawlina said the decision to arrest Minter and then divert the drive to headquarters may not have been technical violations of department policy, but showed poor judgment.
"Here we had a guy who was trying to work with us to get a gun off the street, and it doesn't look like he was treated very well for it," he said.
