The recent firing of Mt. Vernon Police
Commissioner Carl Bell was a shock to many in the community who had become a
custom seeing the Commissioner at many community events and programs. For those
who knew Bell personally, its was heart damaging to see the cowardly set up of
Mayor Davis to fire him while having the press wait in the hallways of City
Hall.
Many residents in the community trusted Bell. They felt that he was cleaning up the city and a police department that had a history of being racist, disrespectful and using excessive force towards those that lived on the southside of Mt. Vernon , which comprised a mostly black, and Caribbean and some Latino ethnic groups.
“He was there wen we (the community) needed him,” said Mr. Clark, a longtime Mt. Vernon resident. “He worked with our organization to help keep the community safe.”
“When we went to Bell looking for answers after my children was shot at,” said, Nazarene Duncan, of MAMA I AM, an organization working with Mothers that children was killed by gun violence. “We saw the results in Bells effectiveness because the shooters are now in jail.”
The firing took the Mt. Vernon community in shock. Who would call the press, bring their commissioner over and fire him in front of the camera? What makes this even more shocking is that the Mayor and the Commissioner are fraternity brothers in Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
“That’s not what we do in the brotherhood”, said MVPD, Detective Sgt. Anthony Mitchell, who is also a fraternity brother. “This was a great deal of a lack of professionalism displayed by the Mayor. This type of behavior should have never been for public display between to fraternal brothers.Unfortunately, this type of Mt. Vernon politics; nobody understands."
Bell told the Journal News “I think it was disrespectful. I think I have had a lot of success here.”Former Mayor Clinton Young appointed Commissioner Bell in July 2010. Before becoming police commissioner, Bell worked for the federal government in the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) since 1990. Bell was promoted in 2003 to group supervisor of the DEA Mobile Enforcement team, where he helped target violent narcotics organizations. In 2004, as DEA, Bell, along with his team of agents, led to the dismantling of a violent drug organizations in Mount Vernon.Under Bells command, it’s reported that the city has had a 7 percent drop in crime between 2011-12.
“With his credentials, his background, MVPD was finally getting some respect in the law enforcement community”, said Mitchell.
From a law enforcement perspective, Commissioner Bell was the best suited in bringing the department into modern times and finding new ways of addressing the influx of illegal weapons and gang violence within Mt. Vernon. Yes, there was a spike in shootings last year. In some cases it is inevitable. Mt. Vernon rest on the boarders of the Bronx 47th Precinct. This precinct has a history of gun violence and one of the highest rates of homicides in NYC. It can be expected for it to cross over city lines form time to time.
But in order to deal with what’s goes on outside of the department. Commissioner Bell had the ungodly task to try to clean up what was going on inside the department. According to Commissioner Bell, Mayor Ernest Davis interference undermined his ability to manage the city's Police Department. He is also stated, Officers who objected to how their superiors treated them regularly turned to Davis for help.
“Mayor Davis had a history of interfering in Commissioners activities,” said Robert Hood, North East Region President of the National Black Police Association and retired NYPD Detective. “Yes, we supported Ernie’s campaign but we stressed that he allow Bell to do his job. Not like he did Laforgia.” Gertrude Laforgia was Police Commissioner and fired by Davis in 2002. she also was highly egarded in police cirles in New York. Her departure was also not amiable.
Commissioner Bell also addressed the many police misconduct issues within the department. The most notable, a Sargent that has faced numerous complaints and civil lawsuits. A 2010 lawsuit for assaulting a retired Black County Police Officer and a 2009 incident of assaulting a 15 year old boy in the side of the head with his night stick while he was in handcuffs. In cases, the city of Mt. Vernon and the officer was found guilty and has cost the taxpayers millions in settlements. Ironically, it is alleged that this Sargent was not put on desk duty until after Commissioner Carl Bell took control of the department.
The Journal News reported, MVPD, Sgt. Shawn Harris, a former President of the Police Benevolent Association, said, “The city is losing a good man.” Harris said some members of the force “are not used to people holding them accountable. Before Bell, the department had an environment that lacked accountability. Bell tried to bring that back.”
Commissioner Bell was the on Commissioner out of the forty-three police departments in favor of a Civilian Complaint Review Board. The Civilian Complaint Review Board is an all-civilian board tasked with overseeing the investigation of civil complaints about alleged misconduct. This is an issue that Mayor Davis campaigned on but has yet to commission. Now that Bell is fired many citizens that looked for a process of accountability will be subjected to the “Usual Politics” of the police where the complaint process is so corrupt that citizens feel no need to file complaints because nothing will get done.
It is reported that Commissioner Ward will take over the department temporarily. According to the Huffington Post, Mr. Ward has never been a police officer. He is described by the paper as a Police Buff. Mt. Vernon residents pay some of the highest taxes in the state of New York. They deserve a lot better from their city government when it comes to Public Safety.
Many residents in the community trusted Bell. They felt that he was cleaning up the city and a police department that had a history of being racist, disrespectful and using excessive force towards those that lived on the southside of Mt. Vernon , which comprised a mostly black, and Caribbean and some Latino ethnic groups.
“He was there wen we (the community) needed him,” said Mr. Clark, a longtime Mt. Vernon resident. “He worked with our organization to help keep the community safe.”
“When we went to Bell looking for answers after my children was shot at,” said, Nazarene Duncan, of MAMA I AM, an organization working with Mothers that children was killed by gun violence. “We saw the results in Bells effectiveness because the shooters are now in jail.”
The firing took the Mt. Vernon community in shock. Who would call the press, bring their commissioner over and fire him in front of the camera? What makes this even more shocking is that the Mayor and the Commissioner are fraternity brothers in Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
“That’s not what we do in the brotherhood”, said MVPD, Detective Sgt. Anthony Mitchell, who is also a fraternity brother. “This was a great deal of a lack of professionalism displayed by the Mayor. This type of behavior should have never been for public display between to fraternal brothers.Unfortunately, this type of Mt. Vernon politics; nobody understands."
Bell told the Journal News “I think it was disrespectful. I think I have had a lot of success here.”Former Mayor Clinton Young appointed Commissioner Bell in July 2010. Before becoming police commissioner, Bell worked for the federal government in the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) since 1990. Bell was promoted in 2003 to group supervisor of the DEA Mobile Enforcement team, where he helped target violent narcotics organizations. In 2004, as DEA, Bell, along with his team of agents, led to the dismantling of a violent drug organizations in Mount Vernon.Under Bells command, it’s reported that the city has had a 7 percent drop in crime between 2011-12.
“With his credentials, his background, MVPD was finally getting some respect in the law enforcement community”, said Mitchell.
From a law enforcement perspective, Commissioner Bell was the best suited in bringing the department into modern times and finding new ways of addressing the influx of illegal weapons and gang violence within Mt. Vernon. Yes, there was a spike in shootings last year. In some cases it is inevitable. Mt. Vernon rest on the boarders of the Bronx 47th Precinct. This precinct has a history of gun violence and one of the highest rates of homicides in NYC. It can be expected for it to cross over city lines form time to time.
But in order to deal with what’s goes on outside of the department. Commissioner Bell had the ungodly task to try to clean up what was going on inside the department. According to Commissioner Bell, Mayor Ernest Davis interference undermined his ability to manage the city's Police Department. He is also stated, Officers who objected to how their superiors treated them regularly turned to Davis for help.
“Mayor Davis had a history of interfering in Commissioners activities,” said Robert Hood, North East Region President of the National Black Police Association and retired NYPD Detective. “Yes, we supported Ernie’s campaign but we stressed that he allow Bell to do his job. Not like he did Laforgia.” Gertrude Laforgia was Police Commissioner and fired by Davis in 2002. she also was highly egarded in police cirles in New York. Her departure was also not amiable.
Commissioner Bell also addressed the many police misconduct issues within the department. The most notable, a Sargent that has faced numerous complaints and civil lawsuits. A 2010 lawsuit for assaulting a retired Black County Police Officer and a 2009 incident of assaulting a 15 year old boy in the side of the head with his night stick while he was in handcuffs. In cases, the city of Mt. Vernon and the officer was found guilty and has cost the taxpayers millions in settlements. Ironically, it is alleged that this Sargent was not put on desk duty until after Commissioner Carl Bell took control of the department.
The Journal News reported, MVPD, Sgt. Shawn Harris, a former President of the Police Benevolent Association, said, “The city is losing a good man.” Harris said some members of the force “are not used to people holding them accountable. Before Bell, the department had an environment that lacked accountability. Bell tried to bring that back.”
Commissioner Bell was the on Commissioner out of the forty-three police departments in favor of a Civilian Complaint Review Board. The Civilian Complaint Review Board is an all-civilian board tasked with overseeing the investigation of civil complaints about alleged misconduct. This is an issue that Mayor Davis campaigned on but has yet to commission. Now that Bell is fired many citizens that looked for a process of accountability will be subjected to the “Usual Politics” of the police where the complaint process is so corrupt that citizens feel no need to file complaints because nothing will get done.
It is reported that Commissioner Ward will take over the department temporarily. According to the Huffington Post, Mr. Ward has never been a police officer. He is described by the paper as a Police Buff. Mt. Vernon residents pay some of the highest taxes in the state of New York. They deserve a lot better from their city government when it comes to Public Safety.
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