HPD: DCF Car Fire Was “Targeted Event”

You’d be nervous too.

Employees at the Hartford regional office of the Department of Children and Families will be relieved to know that a January 14th car fire in the office parking lot was a “targeted event”. The fire, Hartford police have concluded, was not set in retaliation for DCF policies or actions.

The attack on the motor vehicle had unsettled DCF caseworkers. It was first reported to state police, who referred it to Hartford fire investigators. They concluded the blaze was incendiary and called in the local police arson unit, who continue to investigate.

DCF employees have been on edge over the incident. It’s not often someone’s car is set ablaze at work. Commissioner Joette Katz’s desultory response to the workplace arson has mystified workers. The haughty commissioner has done nothing to assure employees that they are safe and the fire was not in retaliation for an official act. Katz, of course, may want to steer well clear of discussions about parking lots, but it’s no reason to let frontline employees to wonder about their safety at work.

Updates as they become available. While DCF workers breathe a sigh of relief, they can mark the 20th anniversary of “Creep”.