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City Announces Shooting Task Force

By Jenna Carlesso

July 01, 2011

City police, state police, representatives from the Hartford State's Attorney's Office and the Chief State's Attorney's Office and the Department of Correction will partner to form a shooting task force designed to crack down on city gun violence, officials said Friday.

The task force will work on open, recent shooting cases in Hartford. Officers from the East Hartford, West Hartford and Manchester police departments will also assist in the task force.

Mayor Pedro Segarra said he reached out to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who helped gather resources for the effort.

"The people who work, live and visit Hartford must feel safe," Segarra said Friday. "We cannot reach a level of economic success if we are not a safe city."

Asked if the effort would include more officers on the street, Hartford police Chief Daryl K. Roberts replied: "You will see a stronger police presence."

There have been 17 homicides in the city so far this year, compared with 11 during the same period last year. In addition, the city has had 70 shootings this year, compared with 64 at this point in 2010.

The effort is not new. Three years ago, Segarra said, the city formed a shooting task force that included Hartford police detectives, the Department of Correction, state police and inspectors from the Chief State's Attorney's Office and the Hartford State's Attorney's Office.

That effort yielded 72 arrests and helped police build cases on others who were already incarcerated, city officials said.