Hampton Police Department the business that doesnt give a d**n Hampton Virginia

Below is a letter I wrote of how I was treated by the Hampton Police Department on one occasion, in Hampton, VA. They did respond with an investigation, and like Jop the EMT, they decided I was at fault and they did me a "favor" by not arresting me.

My wife and I have since obtained concealed weapon permits for protection, as the Hampton Police are obviously not capable of protecting us. I will protect my family with or without the help of the Hampton Police Department. We have since moved out of Hampton because of this treatment, and recommend everyone else leave.

This is only one example, I have others, one of which I accused the Police of forcing their citizens to become vigilantes because they would not do their job. Only then did they perform their sworn duties.

July 15, 1999
Michael Evans
Hampton, VA 23666


P. G. Minetti
Chief of Police
Hampton Police Division
40 Lincoln Street
Hampton, VA 23669

Dear Sir,

On Wednesday, July 14, 1999, I placed a call to 727-6111 at approximately 9:30 PM and asked for an officer to respond to loud music coming from the residence at 127 Semple Farm Rd. #14. The dispatcher said they would send someone. At about 9:50 PM, I called back and asked when an officer planned to respond, as the loud music continued without interruption. I was told that an officer had cruised through the park and had not found a violation. I told the dispatcher to send another officer and roll down his window, get out of the car and knock on the door. She said they would.

At approximately 10:05 PM I called back and insisted on speaking to the commander in charge immediately, as no officer had yet responded, and the loud music continued. When the commanding officer called me, Corporal Oakley, I demanded an officer's presence onsite immediately, and told her the 40+ minute response time was unacceptable.

After a few more choice words about the response time I hung up on her.

I suggest you request the dispatcher tapes from 727-6111 for that night and listen to my calls.
I don't remember everything I said, but my frustration and dissatisfaction are clearly expressed, and will help you interpret my disposition when Corporal Oakley decided to make an appearance.

I was standing outside in my front yard when Corporal Oakley and two other units arrived. I was upset, but glad to see them, at least until I found out the real reason she was there. When she approached me, I thought it was to ask what was going on. It turned out all she was interested in was threatening to arrest me for disturbing the peace because of the way I talked to her on the phone. She also told me I was the only one complaining about the loud music, and there is no city ordinance pertaining to how loud someone can play their music, or at what time of night, that she could enforce.

While we argued, the loud music continued to play on. There is more to this conversation, but most of it was arguing and at the conclusion I told her to leave, since it was obvious all she was concerned about was how I spoke to her, and not my neighbor's loud music. She also told me that these type of calls are not a priority, and they do not run red lights, etc., responding to these calls. This call was not, and was never intended, to be a priority call. That is why I called 727-6111 instead of 911.

The next day I was informed that my neighbor across the street, whom you know personally, had also called to complain about the loud music after she had knocked on their door to ask them to turn it down. She called because no one would answer the door at #14. She said it took about fifteen minutes for the officers to respond. Corporal Oakley either lied to me, or did not bother to check the records before she said I was the only one to complain.

My objection is how Corporal Oakley used Hampton police resources to handle a personal insult on how she dispatches her subordinates. Her response to our conversation was to arrive with two other units. If this is an indication of how she utilizes Hampton police resources, I can understand why there were no units available to respond to my complaint. If she feels three units are required to respond to an insult of her dispatching ability, how many units are sent to a real tragedy? If Hampton is short on police resources, I would think she could manage them more efficiently. Then again, without proper training, maybe she can't.

Since it did not take her long to appear after our talk, I have to assume she was nearby. When I had made my 3rd or 4th call to the dispatcher, she should have responded to the original complaint.

The key to all of this is crime prevention. That means responding to a complaint on the first call, not when you feel like it or when you,re insulted. Situations like this one can easily escalate into altercations where someone gets hurt. Your officers refusal to respond in a timely fashion to a simple complaint could have turned this into a more serious violation, possibly requiring multiple units and ambulances. Your police officers' lackadaisical attitude towards law enforcement encourages many law abiding citizens to take the law into their own hands, (vigilantes).

If your officers are not concerned about serving and protecting, they should seek employment elsewhere.

My first call was around 9:30 PM. Corporal Oakley arrived around 10:20 PM to threaten arresting me for disturbing the peace. 50 minutes to respond to a simple complaint, and then only to threaten arresting the complainer because I hurt her feelings.
What's wrong with this picture?

I've made numerous calls to the police about loud music from my neighbors, and about 75% of the calls were handled poorly. All were different officers. It usually took a second call before an officer would actually respond.

I work for an interstate networking company, and when clients inquire about operating a branch office in the Tidewater area, Hampton is not on my list. I have little faith the Hampton police could respond to their calls in a timely fashion. In addition, your police officers seem to enforce the law in accordance with their own personal agenda. Simply put, the Hampton police, paid public servants, cannot be trusted to serve and protect.

I am not pleased with the response to my simple complaint call, and would like to know if this problem will be rectified.

Thank you in advance for your timely response.

Sincerely,


Michael Evans

Distribution:

P. G. Minetti, Chief of Police
Corporal Oakley, Hampton Police
Joseph H. Spencer II, Mayor
Mamie E. Locke, Vice Mayor
Thomas D. Gear, Council Member
Ross A. Kearney II, Council Member
Linda E. McNeeley, Council Member
Turner M. Spencer, Council Member
Paige V. Washington, Jr., Council Member
George Wallace, City Manager
Robert C. (Bobby) Scott, Congressman
Herbert H. Bateman, Congressman
Federal Bureau of Investigation, (For statistical information)

Mike
Newport News, Virginia
U.S.A.

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