{news} Shapiro sees racism as root of crime

Thu Oct 20 10:13:46 EDT 2005

The Advocate

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-munger4oct20,0,16204.story

Malloy's record is focus of police union forum

By Zach Lowe
Staff Writer

October 19, 2005

STAMFORD -- A candidates forum in front of the police union last night 
turned into a debate about whether Mayor Dannel Malloy has done enough to 
keep the city safe and equip the police department.

The forum ended without an endorsement from the union, and saw Republican 
Christopher Munger question Malloy's commitment to public safety while 
Malloy called Munger's promise of revamping the police department while 
cutting taxes "a fable."

The forum, which included Green Party candidate Darek Shapiro after a 
last-minute invitation, comes after a year of strained relations between 
Malloy and the police union.

The two sides have been unable to negotiate a new contract since July. 
Public rifts about anti-terror training, failing equipment and pay scales 
for detectives have broken the bond between the union and the candidate it 
endorsed a decade ago.

Malloy said the department will get specialty teams, new equipment and a 
raise for officers in the detective bureau once the contract is finished. He 
said the last 10 years, when crime rates dropped and the number of officers 
increased, have proven how much he cares about the department.

"I have a body of work as your mayor," Malloy said in his concluding 
remarks. "I thought that stood for something, but maybe in this day and age 
it doesn't."

Munger, a former FBI agent, said Malloy has not spent enough on the city's 
radio system and has not prepared officers for a terror attack or a school 
shooting. He said he would cut "luxury items" for the budget, including a 
proposed ice rink, and focus on the essentials.

"The buck stops at the mayor's desk," Munger said. "There is no excuse. You 
get it done. That's all I have to say."

Shapiro echoed many of Munger's criticisms, and said he would "hire Chris 
Munger" to train hostage negotiators and other specialty teams. But he also 
suggested the city look at the deeper causes of crime, including racism and 
the segregation of minorities into "barrios and ghettoes."

Munger said he would finish the new $16 million radio system by next year, 
not 2009 as planned, and purchase better cars, in-car laptops and a 
bomb-sniffing dog.

He said he would spend more time planning for an evacuation of the city and 
its schools.

Malloy said criticism that he has neglected homeland security is misleading. 
He said since September 2003 the city has paid for 209 officers to attend 
426 courses, including many on fighting terrorism and responding to 
emergencies.

He said the department would have more chemical suits if not for delays in 
the state's distribution of federal homeland security money.

Malloy said many of Munger's other pledges are unrealistic.

"Be careful of people who make you promises when all of their other 
literature is about cutting taxes," Malloy told the union. "Either they're 
not telling you the truth or they're not telling the rest of the city the 
truth."

Malloy repeated the phrase three times, leading Munger to quip, "It's called 
redundancy. That's three times now."

Malloy snapped back minutes later.

"I'm sorry if repeating myself is an annoyance," the mayor said. "But be 
careful about promises you make to people when you're desperate to get their 
endorsement."

The police union has complained for years about "dead spots" around the city 
where officers get shaky reception from the city's two radio towers. During 
the last six months, the city's main radio tower atop the Government Center 
has shut down several times.

Malloy has committed about $4 million in city money and grants in this 
year's budget to start building a new system.

The system will use at least four towers, experts have said. The city put 
out an application for bidders interested in building the system last week, 
Malloy said.

"I want you to have the tools you need," Malloy said. "I have fought for 10 
years to give you the best training and equipment we could afford."

Officer Michael Merenda, the union president, said the union would endorse 
one of the candidates in the next few days.