State Senator Herron Gaston who faces an August 13 Democratic primary from City Councilman Ernie Newton, recently visited the White House to address gun safety. In the commentary below he shares “One of the topics discussed at the White House – a new one for me – was the need for states to secure grants to hire retired law enforcement officers to investigate cold cases.”
The White House is an iconic symbol of American democracy, a historic residence that has housed every U.S. president while serving as an emblem of our governing practices and values. It was a true honor for me to ever be invited to the White House in the first place, and an even bigger blessing to be asked back recently for a third time.
In late June, as the Senate Chairman of the General Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. after receiving an invitation for the Safer States Legislative Convening to discuss gun violence prevention. During the event, I was able to hear from senior White House officials and other state leaders and then participate in discussions about what public policies elected officials should be pursuing. We were able to compare notes and explore different, effective gun violence prevention policies.
I was among many senior federal officials and representatives from more than 30 states. I’m proud to say that several of those in attendance said they view Connecticut’s comprehensive system of gun safety laws as a model for other American states to follow. Attendees were particularly interested in Connecticut’s red flag laws, our gun storage safety laws, and our investment in community nonprofit organizations that are working to prevent gun violence at the grassroots level.
I’m happy to say that, at the local level, I have already secured gun violence prevention grants for a variety of grassroots groups, including funding in Bridgeport for The Village Initiative Project, Inc., Eastend Baptist Church, the Hope Center Foundation For Non-Violence and Social Change, the Yellow Mill Village Scholarship Foundation INC., the Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders, Inc., Creative Youth Productions Inc., East End NRZ Market & Café, The Dominican American Coalition of Connecticut, Inc. and the Unique & Unified New Era Youth Movement.
These grants will help to provide enrichment programs and activities, create safe environments for students to learn and bolster new skills, promote positive police and community interactions, increase a child’s self-worth and self-confidence, all the while advancing their skills, promoting a positive environment with activities for healthy living, and creating workshops for adults and children.
One of the topics discussed at the White House – a new one for me – was the need for states to secure grants to hire retired law enforcement officers to investigate cold cases. This initiative aims to bring closure to unresolved cases and further enhance community safety while bringing a sense of justice to families.
Solving cold cases demonstrates that law enforcement are capable of resolving crimes even after a long time, which can deter potential offenders by reducing the perceived likelihood of getting away with violent acts. Catching perpetrators of past crimes can also prevent them from committing future violent crimes, and increased trust in law enforcement can lead to better community cooperation in preventing future gun crimes.
Such cold case initiatives are already at work in Texas, North Carolina, Washington, South Carolina and Arkansas. For example, in Texas, the Retired Homicide Investigators Task Force is a group of retired peace officers with extensive experience in conducting homicide investigations; they serve on a voluntary basis assisting the Texas Attorney General’s Office Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit.
Connecticut should seriously consider following suit: the state should pursue creating a cold case task force staffed retired law enforcement officers who would be able to solve cold cases in Connecticut.
My takeaway from this most recent White House invitation reinforced my belief that Connecticut is a national leader on gun violence prevention, but that new ideas are still needed to benefit Bridgeport, Stratford, and other Connecticut cities and towns in our ongoing effort to reduce the gun violence caused by suicides, accidental deaths (usually involving children coming across an unsecured handgun) and homicides.
Only by addressing all of the underlying social, economic, and psychological factors that contribute to gun violence can Connecticut truly continue along its path of tackling gun violence.
