Given the Hudson Police Department's sordid past, isn't it long past time for the public to be involved in, and made aware of, misconduct claims and investigations at HPD?
HUDseen is a mostly pictorial blog dedicated to exposing all things dangerous, ugly, hypocritical, and inexplicable in Hudson, NY that go unseen or ignored by Hudson City Hall. As well as other random, curious, concerning, and interesting things seen and tripped over in Hudson.
I took the first two pictures on July 2nd and July 4th. They show a portion of the "walkway" that leads from the sidewalk to the front porch and doors of the 2-family house at 80 - 86 North 6th Street, a property owned and lived in by Hudson's second highest paid city employee.* Presumably, there is a mailbox or two near the front doors. Maybe even a doorbell or two that work. This wide property is along my regular walks to and from Oakdale Park and elsewhere.
Not long before former HPD Police Chief Ed Moore resigned 3 years ago, HUDseen ran a piece or two calling into question his cognitive soundness. I noticed him saying things at council meetings that made no sense. He didn't seem like he was able to pay attention. Something was amiss. Then he said goodbye after ten years as our top law enforcement official, handing the baton to Lieutenant Mishanda Franklin. Moore, a Germantown resident and former NY State cop who grew up in Hudson, had been called in from recent retirement to right the ship at the troubled HPD, long plagued by dysfunction and misconduct.
About a week ago, I had the misfortune of finding myself walking on the odd side of the 300 block of State Street. (Note to self: If possible, avoid in the future!) The word obscene came to mind. These 5 pictures show the last stretch approaching 3rd.
It's been at least two years, but it's time once again for another HUDseen article titled SINKHOLE CITY. There are a lot of little holes to go around this time, some of them big expensive. Our aging infrastructure is getting the best of us, and I can't imagine how much money we are spending just to keep up. All of this comes on the heels of the huge (and hugely expensive) repair of the failed section of Harry Howard near Underhill Lake. Though the State DOT covered the costs for that emergency which Colarusso was hired for (about $250,000, I believe), the work necessary to fix what follows below will have to be paid for with city taxpayer funds. If they are available.
Just over two months ago, HPD Captain David Miller did his best to convince everyone at the May meeting of the so-called SAFETY Committee that HPD issued "200 to 250 or more" speeding tickets in the first quarter of this year. It was laughable. It was an outright lie, though Miller conceded that since he didn't have the data with him that he was just approximating. And it didn't help that, as he admitted later in an email, he thought he was being asked (by two different residents!) about traffic tickets in general, not specifically about speeding tickets. (Both residents uttered the term "speeding tickets" multiple times.) Last month, Miller also didn't have the data with him when asked by the same concerned Warren Street resident who showed up to the meeting again and had asked him for the same numbers the month before. During last Monday's July meeting, Miller didn't have the data again because, as Mishanda Franklin explained, he was on vacation. It must have been an unplanned vacation, because at last month's meeting Miller was asked by committee chair Henry Haddad if he would bring the speeding ticket data with him to the "next meeting," and he said that he would. Fortunately, Chef Franklin brought the speeding ticket data for the second quarter with her to share with everyone.
Given the Hudson Police Department's sordid past, isn't it long past time for the public to be involved in, and made aware of, mis...