UPDATE: A former New Haven police officer with a history of problems with the law was found dead on Bridgeport’s East Side Thursday, the city’s third homicide of the early year and fifth in the past four weeks. The official cause of death was blunt head trauma, according to a medical examiner, although residents reported that they had heard gunfire.
The victim Kenneth Console was a New Haven cop for nearly 10 years. Our friends at the www.newhavenindependent.org report that Console’s stepfather said “Bridgeport police came to his wife’s place of employment around 11:30 a.m. to notify her of the death … Console entered the New Haven police academy on Jan. 24, 1992. He resigned on April 30, 2003, “taking advantage of the ‘Early Incentive Buy Out’ according to New Haven police spokesman Officer David Hartman.”
Console had a series of issues with law enforcement that included larceny and home improvement violations as a carpenter. The Independent also reports that he had a history of drug issues, according to sources.
If it’s news you go with it, especially in light of the recent violence that has struck the city. The city’s third homicide victim of the year, his body found on the East Side, is captured in a photo taken by a young girl, according to the Connecticut Post. Isn’t running the photo a no brainer? David McCumber, editorial director of Hearst Connecticut Media Group, explains why the paper ran the photograph.
We have published a photograph of a homicide victim lying–uncovered–on a Bridgeport street this morning. We have done so only after considerable thought and discussion.
This photograph was taken by a teenage girl who goes to the same school attended by Justin Thompson, the 14-year-old shot and killed Jan. 8.
For some reason, police left the body on the Bond Street sidewalk, uncovered, for several hours after it was reported around 4 a.m. The photographer and many other children were forced to walk past it on the way to school.
While publishing this photo may make some people uncomfortable, it is an undeniably powerful representation of the spate of tragedy the city is enduring. Ultimately, what’s unacceptably uncomfortable is schoolchildren having to walk past homicide victims.
So the kids were a little uncomfortable walking by the dead body, too bad. Haven’t we been discussing curfews and such because of the shooting of a 14 year old?
It’s time kids realize shooting people is real, it’s not like on TV. It’s messy and disgusting but it’s real life.
Numerous studies have demonstrated exposure therapy’s effectiveness in the treatment of anxiety disorders such as PTSD and specific phobias (such as fear of a violent death). So I’m assuming Bridgeport elementary school children receive the same to acclimate themselves to their surroundings. How thoughtful of you, but I disagree with your treatment timing.
Might I suggest first exposing them to some dead squirrels, then cats, next a large pig, and finally something over 200 pounds–perhaps a large dead gorilla or Big Foot.
Here is part of the problem. Most if not all the top brass and that includes Chief Gaudett do not live in Bridgeport. They do their 8 hours and then go home to the suburbs. Their families are not subject to the day-to-day bullshit we the citizens of Bridgeport are.
The brass sits on their dead asses and thinks up new policing ideas that never work. They can’t or won’t accept the idea it takes cops in the street to stop crime. Issuing incident reports where a police officer does not respond does not allow the officer to learn what is going on within his post.
I had my truck tires slashed three times, the first two times no one showed up. My wife went to the police department and filed a complaint against the police department as a whole. Lo and behold a police officer showed up at my door. He stated this was an isolated incident and someone was after me.
I wrote a live letter to the Post and from that article I received five telephone calls from people in the neighborhood who were told the same thing I was, this was an isolated incident and they were the targets. What bullshit!!! In fairness to the officers, if they are not sent to a location and/or are not made aware of these incidents they have no way of knowing. I looked into the matter and almost caught the person(s) responsible. I gave this information to the PD and never heard another thing. In fairness the vandalism stopped but not before I spent $3,000 on security.
The point of all this is we have too many chiefs sitting on their asses and only a few indians trying to protect us.
To the 105 real cops, you have my undying thanks and support.
BTW Chief Gaudett get rid of the SET unit and put them on patrol, otherwise they are a waste of time and money.
If there were living-wage, manufacturing jobs available in Bridgeport–as there once were, by the thousands, right across the street from the victim (at the GE plant)–maybe he would have been working instead of getting shot, and maybe the shooter would have been working (at a legitimate job) instead of committing a homicide.
The Finch Administration’s planned road through the GE property (to serve the new train station and feeder-barge port) will not increase tax revenue, create Bridgeport jobs, or reduce the homicide rate (although it will help to keep all of those workers commuting to Stamford, Norwalk and Greenwich–to maintain the Gold Coast tax base and lifestyle–on time).
Our mayor is carrying out a grand development plan to benefit his Gold Coast masters while Bridgeport slips further into a socioeconomic abyss …
Can Bridgeport hang on for four more years? What do the Gold Coast folks have planned for us during that time, besides taking over our school system (for nefarious, Gold Coast-serving reasons, no doubt)!
With Bill Finch and Dan Malloy in office, we can be sure Bridgeport will regress even as its population of commuting, Gold Coast labor continues to grow (and stretch our shrinking resources even further …).
Did the police direct the pedestrians to cross the street or provide a screen that would have blocked a view of the body?
Every young child who walked by on their way to school is now terrified they might be the next victim.
The BOE has cut social workers and guidance counselors to 1 or 2 days a week per school. I hope one is there tomorrow to provide assistance–but based on their new schedules, I wouldn’t bet on it.
Good grief, rogue ex cops.
Good Cop, Bad Cop?
Would you let a dog lay there that long?
The Bridgeport Police Dept, a bunch of clowns.
*** Would a simple tarp covering part of the body be too much to ask? It’s not like it would interfere with the investigation! *** LIFE & DEATH IN ZOMBIELAND ***
I find this to be so appalling I really cannot say enough bad things about the fool or fools who dropped the ball here. Just an oversight? How is this possible? What is this man, litter? I am going to be sick.
Running the photograph is a no-brainer. It is not in bad taste.
Leaving the body alone is a legitimate investigatory practice.
This is not an “only in Bridgeport” moment. This is a moment that happened in Bridgeport.
I have no problem with the body being left alone. I have a BIG problem with the police not concealing it.
Jim, you’re full of shit, man. It is in bad taste! VERY BAD TASTE! Just what I wanted my kids to see!
I live here a**hole, and you will never see a photo like this in any other town paper in CT. So what your telling me, because it’s in Bridgeport, it’s okay to run this photo? F**k you and all the other Mike Dalys and David McCumbers out there!
Antitesto, how about saying: fuck all those who take pictures of dead or dying people on the streets? Keep in mind the person who took the picture was one of the young students walking to school. It doesn’t sound like that student was negatively affected. I dare say many students were pissed at their bus driver for not driving down that street. I don’t understand why the CT Post felt they had to explain the publishing of the photo other than the obvious fear of a public outcry. Didn’t Lennie Grimaldi publish the same photo? I haven’t read of any explanation from OIB as to why the photo was published here–not that I care to hear one. A few years ago, a man speeding on Route 8 lost control of his motorcycle and his body landed at the bottom of the Lindley Street exit where people took photos of the body and sent the picture to friends. Months later, a co-worker wanted to show me something on her cell phone and when the image loaded it was that of the motorcycle victim. I made it very clear to that co-worker how I felt about people who would entertain such photos of people in unfortunate circumstances. In an accident like that, the body must be covered as there is really no concern of tainting evidence of a crime. In the Bond Street shooting case there was a potential of tainting evidence by covering the body.
Publishing the photo was a journalistic no brainer. Post editors felt compelled to explain why it was published. Doing so added a new dimension to the story. In fact, by deciding to rationalize publishing the photo the Post made news.
Anybody who shares the same last name as Dirty Harry can be trusted to know his way around a death scene. Good police work, Callahan.
It was taken from so far away I don’t think it was that big a deal. If it were an up-close photo that would be a different story.
What if the photo were taken from far away with a 35mm zoom lens?
There should not have been any problem with the police concealing the body or any other body at a crime scene. Wood horses and a tarp covering around the area of the body would conceal the body from those walking and driving by without touching the body and any evidence.
Some college professor stated the Bpt PD did the right thing when they did not cover the body. He stated it was possible evidence may have been contaminated. Bullshit!!!
They could have used a sterile sheet to cover the body. They could after the body was removed take the sheet as evidence. Excuses! Excuses!
Lennie, maybe you could explain to me why people blame or critique the police in response to crime? Shouldn’t we be concentrating on the constituency perpetrating the crime and the policies we vote in place that reduce the resources given to public safety? It seems the frustration is incredibly misplaced.
Hi Doctor Jen, sometimes folks respond out of frustration, ignorance or don’t understand law enforcement protocol. You’re correct, the frustration is misplaced. If the violence trend continues there will be more frustration.
Come on Lennie! You know in Bridgeport violence alone isn’t really necessary to frustrate the public. Just wait ’til the snow starts falling and you’ll know what I mean. If the mayor knows any better, town committee’s street should be on top of his list.
What would jennifer lynne like the public to do?
Applaud the police department for their speedy response before criticizing them for leaving the body laying there for everyone to see?
The BPD owes the public an explanation as to the whys and what-fors and proper protocol for instances like this!
In context, this post is about the photo. No, frustration with the fact there IS a photo taken by a teenager on her way to school is ABSOLUTELY NOT misplaced frustration.
We are EVERYONE entitled to critique the police in response to a crime. We pay them. If not us, who?
Yes, we all want Shangri-La. But of late, we have not been successful at voting out the corruption, jl. We do, however, have a modicum of say over the way the police force that we pay, treats human dignity, and how they impact the exposure our children have to this type of crime. We know it’s here; we do not have enough resources allocated to the prevention of this type of horrific tragedy. But for the love of GOD we don’t have to add gasoline to the fire.
There may not be enough law enforcement resources to completely prevent this type of crime. BUT I HAVE NO DOUBT THERE WERE ENOUGH RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO CONCEAL THE BODY.
jl: What you say is partially true but who else responds to crime but the PD? How do we concentrate on the constituency perpetrating the crimes? If we see a crime we report it or if another person is endangered we try to help that person. Most if not all of the policies concerning the PD are formulated by the police brass. I along with many people can tell you these policies are not working.
From the CT Post:
Paul Vallas said Friday he is preparing a district policy that would require his office to be notified any time a student is seriously injured or involved in a serious incident on or off school grounds. He called them “flash reports,” something he and Shively Willingham, the district’s new director of school climate who worked with him in Philadelphia, have used successfully elsewhere.
DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL CLIMATE??? A FRIEND FROM HIS DAZE IN PHILLY??? (a.k.a. Kill-a-delphia)
Has this guy produced a balanced budget yet?
Get me on the Board of Ed!!! We would put an end to this nonsense.
More from the CT Post:
Vallas said he would like to create security zones around schools and safe corridors students can use to get to school safely. He’d like to get grants and use capital funding to get cameras installed along those routes.
Give me a break!!! How about some grants to retain the teachers you are about to lay off??? This is more (to quote tc) Bullshit!
After you have straightened ALL of the issues inside of the schools then you can start wandering off campus. Maybe he has a friend in the security camera business from his daze in Philly who will do the work on an emergency no-bid basis!
Oh that’s right he is only going to be here for a year.
This is a sneak preview of what a Bill Finch-appointed Board Of Education will be doing.
Let me at them. Come on Supremes rule in my favor. Bring back an elected BOE!!!
Guy shot in stomach out near McDonald’s in West End. Prognosis not good.
This guy is just some resume-builder.com looking to create new and exciting breakthroughs in his experimental lab known as the Bridgeport School system.
If they work he’ll take credit for them. If they don’t he will explain how those left behind did not implement and monitor things properly.
And tell me this is not exactly what Finch would do with the school budget.
Security cameras on city streets? The city doesn’t have the money unless we raise the taxes so let’s go ahead and raid the school budget.
Vote NO to a Finch-appointed Board of Ed!
More good news from the CT Post:
So now does someone want to explain the BIG raise Ruben got in light of this forecast? NO Seaview Ave corridor. NO rebuilding the railroad tracks. NO new East Side Railroad Job, er I mean, Station. NO road to Remington Woods.
Unless Finch can fund it all with school construction bonds once he takes control of the Board of Ed!!!