When will Lantigua end being the elephant in the room?
Last Saturday and again on Tuesday on my radio show CrossOver, I explained my findings regarding the process by which restraining orders are handled. On Wednesday morning, Lou Blasi twisted my intentions saying that it is all political and my desire to attack Mayor Dan Rivera. He further said that if the information came from a Lantigua supporter, of course it will be biased.
When are we going to focus on the problems and stop looking for scapegoats? I made a very clear description of how restraining orders are processed beginning with the system established by Sergeant Melix Bonilla years ago. Perhaps the mere mention of his name was sufficient for certain people to block the rest of the information from their ears but he created a system of expediency and accuracy.
That duty was later given to Abel Cano upon his transfer from Methuen Police. The way Officer Cano’s work was described to me was as “thorough” following the steps set forth by Sgt. Bonilla. He would search, visit homes and places of employment, made telephone calls to find the individuals and deliver the court order.
I was told the story of one man who could not be found until he got a tip that he was in the Virgin Islands. Officer Cano contacted the U.S. Marshall, faxed the document and the man was properly served. That’s responsibility!
Then, Alan Laird was assigned to it. Officer Laird decided to change the system by delivering the restraining orders only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He would take his time entering them into the system and then delivering them after 5 PM with the excuse that people are not usually home during the daytime.
The system Laird used is still a mystery. There is no way to know how or when the orders are tracked. There is no way the department or any other officer can check on pending service or locate orders awaiting service to serve. The fact is, if there was a glitch, Laird should have picked up on it.
I placed the responsibility on Police Chief James Fitzpatrick for allowing an officer to make his own schedule and not keeping better track of the delivery of the restraining orders. Yes, the mayor and the chief are blaming technology in order to hide the real failure – the police department.
No way to track, no procedure, no oversight, no communication, and NO EXCUSE. The fact of the matter is the restraining order could not nor would not have saved anyone’s life. The issue that this unfortunate tragedy has brought to light, however, is the negligence of the department with regard to restraining orders.
What that has to do with politics or my “dislike for the mayor” as he called it?
