Paul Bass Photo
Officer Michael Haines knew gang members planned to hold a party in Newhallville. He knew rival gang members might show up. But he didn’t know exactly where.
He needed to find out. Or else someone might get shot.
The party was scheduled for a recent Tuesday night. A gangbanger known as Loopy was hosting. The police department’s intelligence unit caught wind of that party. Detectives learned that four or so members of a violent Newhallville gang known alternatively as West Read Street and Starr Block planned to attend. They also had reason to believe that the party plan was well known and members of competing gangs might show up, according to department intelligence chief Sgt. Karl Jacobson.
Jacobson forwarded the word to top Newhallville cop Sgt. Shafiq Abdussabur. The afternoon of the party, Abdussabur summoned beat officers, including Haines, to the corner of Lilac and Newhall streets at the start of the 3 – 11 B shift. He told them they had to find out about this party, and check it out.
Haines generally patrols State Street these days. (The policing district includes Newhallville, East Rock, and Cedar Hill.) But he has spent a lot of time patrolling Newhallville, and amassed a roster of trusted citizen confidantes over that time. As soon as the Lilac-Newhall huddle broke, Haines phoned three of those confidantes.
He asked where the party was. They weren’t sure. He got one address on Newhall Street. He got a different address, also on Newhall Street.
It was sounding like a block on Newhall Street.
Cora Lewis FIle Photo
Haines climbing into an abandoned house during an earlier patrol in Cedar Hill.
Haines, who is 29 and grew up in Fairfield and Bridgeport, has a knack for encountering trouble and solving it. In four-and-a-half years as a New Haven cop, he has, along with a former partner, wrestled a loaded Ruger handgun from a gangbanger and shot dead a vicious dog that was attacking him. He escaped serious injuries. He may or may not have a guardian angel hovering above him, but he does have a tattoo of two angels on his right bicep.
By 10:25 p.m., Haines’s shift was nearing its end. No sign of the party. He and another officer were responding to a minor argument about parking at the corner of Newhall and Read streets. It was about time to head to headquarters to turn in his keys for the night.
As the dispute call was wrapping up, without the need for an arrest, Haines noticed people starting to gather down the street on Newhall. It was turning into a crowd, on the block where the party was expected.
Haines hopped into his patrol car and drove toward the crowd. Ahead he saw a black Buick Regal parked way out into a traffic lane. Young men, in their teens or early 20s, exited the car. Haines recognized them as gang players, he said.
The driver returned to the wheel. By now a couple of dozen people were on the porch and on the street.
Haines approached the Buick on foot. He saw Philly Blunt wrappers inside. He caught a whiff of weed.
“We’re going to have a party,” the driver told Haines.
Haines asked the driver for his license. The driver didn’t have one. He had a learner’s permit. And he had no licensed driver with him.
Haines asked for insurance. The driver had no insurance.
“Listen,” Haines recalled asking the driver, “do you have anything in the car I should know about?”
Suddenly the driver started shaking. He was visibly sweating.
“Listen,” the driver responded. “It’s my brother’s car. I don’t know what’s in it.”
Haines asked the driver to step out of the car. He patted down the man. The driver, who “kept looking inside the car,” had no contraband on him.
Haines searched the car next. He spotted a white mesh Beats headphones case with a “big lump” in it. “I didn’t know if it was drugs. I didn’t know what it was.”
The recovered weapon.
He looked inside. It was a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver with five bullets in it.
The driver had no permit for the gun.
Other officers had arrived. They called for someone to photograph the scene before having the car towed and the gun taken into evidence.
The crowd had grown. Haines found out that Loopy’s aunt rents the apartment where the party was planned. He spoke with her. She told him that she had understood that a few friends of her nephew were planning to hang out. She did not authorize a party, Haines recalled being told.
“Listen,” Haines then told the crowd. “There’s no party going on tonight.”
And they dispersed. There was no party that night.
Haines arrested the driver, who is 20 years old, on a variety of weapons and motor vehicle charges. Two are felonies. The driver has yet to enter a plea.
“It stopped a shooting,” intelligence chief Jacobson said of Haines’ arrest.
District Manager Abdussabur praised Haines for solving a problem the right way, in the style of community policing.
David Yaffe-Bellany Photo
Haines on a Newhallville candy run.
“It may not be as exciting as a car chase or a foot chase,” Abdussabur said, but it’s the way he wants his cops to patrol: making car stops based on real information, rather than randomly harassing people; amassing information by building trust with people in the neighborhood rather than chasing after people because they might look suspicious and then locking them up for the sixth or seventh time on minor charges. He wants officers spending as much time chatting with and handing out candy to kids as writing tickets.
“Officers shut down a teen party that has the potential to end in gunfire. Somebody’s child doesn’t even know. Officers were able to do it under cover of darkness. The community didn’t even have to wake from their sleep,” Abdussabur said. “That’s beautiful. That’s what it’s about.”
Read other installments in the Independent’s “Cop of the Week” series:
• Shafiq Abdussabur
• Craig Alston & Billy White Jr.
• Joseph Aurora
• James Baker
• Lloyd Barrett
• Pat Bengston & Mike Valente
• Elsa Berrios
• Manmeet Bhagtana (Colon)
• Paul Bicki
• Paul Bicki (2)
• Sheree Biros
• Bitang
• Scott Branfuhr
• Bridget Brosnahan
• Craig Burnett & Orlando Crespo
• Keron Bryce and Steve McMorris
• Keron Bryce and Osvaldo Garcia
• Keron Bryce and Osvaldo Garcia (2)
• Dennis Burgh
• Anthony Campbell
• Darryl Cargill & Matt Wynne
• Elizabeth Chomka & Becky Fowler
• Rob Clark & Joe Roberts
• Sydney Collier
• Carlos Conceicao
• Carlos Conceicao (2)
• Carlos Conceicao and Josh Kyle
• David Coppola
• Mike Criscuolo
• Steve Cunningham and Timothy Janus
• Roy Davis
• Joe Dease
• Milton DeJesus
• Milton DeJesus (2)
• Rose Dell
• Brian Donnelly
• Anthony Duff
• Robert DuPont
• Jeremie Elliott and Scott Shumway
• Jeremie Elliott (2)
• Jose Escobar Sr.
• Bertram Ettienne
• Bertram Ettienne (2)
• Martin Feliciano & Lou DeCrescenzo
• Paul Finch
• Jeffrey Fletcher
• Renee Forte
• Marco Francia
• Michael Fumiatti
• William Gargone
• William Gargone & Mike Torre
• Derek Gartner
• Derek Gartner & Ryan Macuirzynski
• Tom Glynn & Matt Williams
• Jon Haddad & Daniela Rodriguez
• Michael Haines & Brendan Borer
• Michael Haines & Brendan Borer (2)
• Dan Hartnett
• Ray Hassett
• Robert Hayden
• Patricia Helliger
• Robin Higgins
• Ronnell Higgins
• William Hurley & Eddie Morrone
• Derek Huelsman
• Racheal Inconiglios
• Juan Ingles
• Paul Kenney
• Hilda Kilpatrick
• Herb Johnson
• John Kaczor & Alex Morgillo
• Jillian Knox
• Peter Krause
• Peter Krause (2)
• Amanda Leyda
• Rob Levy
• Anthony Maio
• Dana Martin
• Reggie McGlotten
• Steve McMorris
• Juan Monzon
• Monique Moore and David Santiago
• Matt Myers
• Carlos and Tiffany Ortiz
• Tiffany Ortiz
• Chris Perrone
• Joseph Perrotti
• Ron Perry
• Joe Pettola
• Diego Quintero and Elvin Rivera
• Ryan Przybylski
• Stephanie Redding
• Tony Reyes
• David Rivera
• Luis & David Rivera
• Luis Rivera (2)
• Salvador Rodriguez
• Salvador Rodriguez (2)
• Brett Runlett
• David Runlett
• Betsy Segui & Manmeet Colon
• Allen Smith
• Marcus Tavares
• Martin Tchakirides
• David Totino
• Stephan Torquati
• Gene Trotman Jr.
* Elisa Tuozzoli
• Kelly Turner
• Lars Vallin (& Xander)
• Dave Vega & Rafael Ramirez
• Earl Reed
• Daophet Sangxayarath & Jessee Buccaro
• Herb Sharp
• Jess Stone
• Arpad Tolnay
• John Velleca
• Manuella Vensel
• Holly Wasilewski
• Holly Wasilewski (2)
• Alan Wenk
• Stephanija VanWilgen
• Elizabeth White & Allyn Wright
• Matt Williams
• Michael Wuchek
• Michael Wuchek (2)
• David Zannelli
• Cailtin Zerella
• Caitlin Zerella (2)
• Caitlin Zerella, Derek Huelsman, David Diaz, Derek Werner, Nicholas Katz, and Paul Mandel
• David Zaweski