Middletown Young Democrats Demand Answers, Action from Mayor, Common Council, PD

Following the discovery of strongly-biased social media posts by Middletown Police Sargent Sebastian Bartolotta, Middletown Young Democrats have addressed a letter sharing their concerns to Mayor Daniel Drew, members of the Common Council and Middletown Police Chief William McKenna. The letter offers suggestions for short-term and long-term solutions  

Distinguished Mayor Drew, Police Chief McKenna, Councilpersons, and Elected Officials:

Last week, the City of Middletown made state headlines when screenshots of Middletown Police Department Sergeant Sebastiano Bartolotta’s Facebook page were shared by the Greater Middletown Young Democrats. Posts that were offensive--in particular to communities of color, undocumented people, and queer people--troubled many community residents, most especially because they came from a long time officer in a position of leadership within the department.

The original post can be found here:

What was originally shared were not the totality of the concerning posts. The page was taken down before further evidence could be collected. A complete collection of the screenshots--some more egregious than others--that were taken before the Sergeant's page was deleted, along with a number of supporting documents referenced in this letter, can be found here.

The Hartford Courant article concerning the posts, with a response from the Sergeant can be found here.

Our public safety officials are entrusted with the great responsibility of responding to the needs of people in our city of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, faiths, political beliefs, socioeconomic means, and legal statuses. While our population is predominantly white, our demographics are, and have been, shifting over time (1). It is vital that our community supports police officers who are not just well-equipped with an understanding of the diversity of the community they serve, but who value and celebrate that diversity as a strength. Sergeant Bartolotta regarded entire groups of people as objects of ridicule. This is unacceptable. While the joint response from Chief of Police McKenna and Mayor Dan Drew is appreciated, the statement does not go far enough.  

In an Executive Order dated July 11, 2017 (2), Mayor Dan Drew declared that our local police department would “continue its longstanding practice of not detaining an individual at the request of United States Immigrations and Custody Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection absent a judicial warrant or probable cause of a crime”. Can undocumented residents living and working peacefully in Middletown, reasonably feel safe calling our police department for help if our first responders can publicly espouse hateful views about them with no repercussions?

While the actions of Sergeant Bartolotta are the ones in question right now, bias within the Middletown Police Department is not limited to one or two individuals. A quick look at the Connecticut Racial Profiling Prohibition Data Project (3), shows that although black folks make up about 12% of our population, they represent 25% of all Middletown Police traffic stops.

Resolution 124-17, passed by the Council in October 2017 (4), resolved that:

[T]he City of Middletown rejects and renounces any and all acts, forms, and philosophies, which may engender and/or support, either directly or indirectly, racial, ethnic, and/or religious supremacy, intolerance, hatred, and/or any other threat to, and/or breach of, the fundamental rights and liberties as set forth in, and as guaranteed by, the United States Constitution and our State and Federal laws.

Allowing people sworn to protect all our residents to publicly espouse derogatory views about some of those residents without consequence, engenders bias. That Sergeant Bartolotta is in a position of leadership, implies to less experienced officers that they too can participate in hateful, disrespectful rhetoric at the expense of people whose taxes pay their salaries, and still expect to be promoted.  

Resolution 124-17 also states that the Human Relations Committee is responsible for identifying:

...any potential adverse impacts to the guarantees and protections of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, employment, age, gender, pregnancy, citizenship, veterans, marital status, familial status, housing, disability, equal access, and the right to vote within this City.

However, complaints lodged against officers alleging violations of civil or human rights are not presented before this body--or any external body--for review or consideration.  

Below are some action items, both immediate and long term, that may serve to ensure this incident leads to some positive outcomes and redress for those most directly affected.

Immediate:

• Mayor Dan Drew and/or Police Chief McKenna, and/or any relevant city employee should extend or release a public statement to include information on the scope of the investigation into Officer Bartolotta’s conduct as an officer; including information on any corrective or punitive measures being sought or taken.
• The parameters of an investigation should include at least the past 5 years of Officer Bartolotta’s stops, ticketing, and arrests history with respect to racial proportionality and use of force; as well as consideration of any civilian complaints or lawsuits lodged against him during the entire length of his time on the force.
• While our current policies may not specifically allow for this, the Mayor’s Office and the Chief of Police should look into any way possible to get feedback into the investigation as well as any next steps from non-PD affiliated citizens, perhaps the Human Relations Committee, the NAACP, the LGBTQ+ Committee, or the Middletown Racial Justice Coalition. 
• The Middletown Police Department should post the Middletown Police Department Code of Conduct (or any other standards of conduct) on the MPD website, preferably alongside information on filing a civilian complaint. 
• Middletown Police Department should translate the “Civilian Complaint Form Policy” (5) into Spanish and post on the MPD website. They should also make clear, in all versions of the form, that the measures taken to assuage the concerns of civilians fearing retribution, extend to civilians of all legal statuses.
• Mayor Dan Drew and/or Police Chief McKenna should reaffirm the commitment of the MPD to not detain an individual at the request of ICE or Customs and Border Protection absent a judicial warrant or probable cause of a crime; and confirm that this has not happened in the time since the 2017 Executive Order was made. 

Long-Term:

Commit to Community Policing values, and to seeking community input:

• Community leaders have alluded to the existence of a 10 Point Community Policing Plan that was passed by our Common Council. Please confirm the existence of this plan, make this document public on the Middletown Police Department website, and detail how the department is implementing the recommendations of this plan.
• If no Community Policing Plan exists, create a process through which, with extensive community leadership and input, one is created. 
• Some suggested action items for the PD that could come from this plan include:

• Updating policies, training, and data collection on use of force, implicit bias, and adherence to code of conduct. Working to make sure these processes are transparent. 

• Examining hiring practices for ways to include community input, diversify applicant pools, and encourage a more diverse workforce. 

• Developing a strategic plan for relationship building via interactions between officers and community members, with a specific focus on communities of color, LGBTQ+ folks, undocumented residents, and youth. 

• Create a Civilian Review Board, or ratify some process by which the Police Department is not solely entrusted to police or investigate itself, and where community members are given an opportunity to review complaints and vote on recommendations.

 Commit to Police Department-wide training on implicit bias:

• The Human Relations Committee is in the process of arranging a racial equity training for City Officials and high ranking department leaders. This training could be expanded to include police officers and public safety personnel either now, or in the future.
• While implicit bias training may not be required by the Connecticut Police Academy, our municipality can consider making this training mandatory upon hiring. 
• Consider a partnership with the Institute for Regional and Municipal Policy. While they focus on public policy, a closer relationship with them can lead to an examination of racial profiling data for our city, as well as deep consideration of best practices; and they may serve as a resource for officer bias trainings. 
• Re-examine our commitment to protecting undocumented residents and marginalized communities:

• In 2017, a group of concerned constituents drafted a Resolution Affirming Middletown, Connecticut As Welcoming and Inclusive (6) 

• Council should examine this resolution and move to pass it as is, or in amended form. 

It is our sincerest hope that City leadership is taking this as seriously as community residents are, and as the joint statement released today implies. Most of the outlined immediate goals are achievable within a week. While any investigation into Sergeant Bartolotta will understandably take time, and while publicly confirming that an investigation will take place (albeit nearly a week after the fact) is a good first step, it is important to be as transparent as possible about the scope of that investigation and the specific steps being taken to make sure our city is best reassuring residents they are safe. Any longer than a week to address these issues degrades the public faith in the City’s commitment to its own stated values, and in its leadership.

Plans to act on any of the longer term goals suggested here, or any others suggested elsewhere; or to create a timeline for bringing some of these suggestions into fruition, can form part of conversations moving forward that should include community members and community partner organizations.

We have shared this communication with some community and organization leaders, so that they know what we are requesting and can consider supporting our asks, or making their own.   

Thank you so much for your consideration,

Diana Martinez, Co-President, Greater Middletown Young Democrats

Will Arther, Co-President, Greater Middletown Young Democrats

Steven Kovach, Treasurer, Greater Middletown Young Democrats

Kate Arther, Secretary, Greater Middletown Young Democrats

References:

1. Middlesex Coalition for Children’s report: “Middletown’s Children: A Reference Guide” https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_n8DTUCCGXec05SSW83TFZJV3hJNGxSTGxybnJlOERwSE9N/view

2.  Copy of Executive Order included in shared drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1WwPcfenx0q77dxGJKxQ8YzbptJK3Ws3_

3. CT Racial Profiling Prohibition Data Project: Traffic Stop Data http://trafficstops.ctdata.org/

4. Common Council Minutes, including passing of Resolution 124-17: http://www.middletownct.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_10022017-838

5. Civilian Complaint Form Policy, City of Middletown Website: http://www.middletownct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/864/Civilian-Complaint-Form-Policy-PDF

6. Resolution Affirming Middletown, Connecticut As Welcoming and Inclusive: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1WwPcfenx0q77dxGJKxQ8YzbptJK3Ws3_