She is not suspended, but she found herself having to take an immediate obligated vacation from the Aruban Police Corps, as we understood from sources that are higher up in the police corps. The commissioner arrived at work this morning as if nothing happened when she was met with two letters on her desk giving the choice between receiving a denial of entry or opting to go for an obligated vacation. Trudy Hassell opted to go home. there was no mention of how many days she would be taking off to reflect on her actions. One thing is clear, her plan to apply her “Let’s Talk” program to Blauw resulted in mandatory time off.
It was early Friday morning when the police commissioner Trudy Hassell arrived in her service vehicle in search of the convict Juan Junior Quant, better known as Blauw, who was just released from prison. He was incarcerated for 10 years for the severe abuse and attempted murder of his partner. The victim will remain paralyzed for the rest of their life, lying on a bed and unable to move. The judge sentenced the accused to 15 years in prison, but his sentence was reduced by a third because of good behavior.
Picture caption: Commissioner Trudy Hassell standing in front of Aruba’s Correctional Facility (KIA) for a press conference on Saturday afternoon. She did not invite all members of the press to this conference and was preoccupied with correcting Awe Mainta, that claimed she had a romantic relationship with the convict. In the community and on social media, she was heavily criticized for her declarations, and instead of setting them straight, she made things worse for herself, for the Aruban Police Corps, and for the entire Aruban Government.
The act of a police commissioner awaiting a convict outside of prison garnered a lot of attention from the community. Awe Mainta wrote a piece in Saturday’s edition in which they stated that Trudy Hassell formed a romantic relationship with the convict back when she was still the director of the prison. The newspaper even mentions that they continue to communicate on the phone daily.
Hassell dismissed these claims and decided to, without permission from the police, hold a press conference outside of the prison on Saturday. There she attempted to set her image straight by attacking the newspaper that made the allegations and threatening to take legal action against them if the ‘false’ claims, which she considers to be biased and tarnishing her image, are not rectified. Nevertheless, the newspaper doubled down on their claims and urged her to go to court if she feels the need to.
Picture caption: Minister Aldrin Bikker confirmed that Trudy Hassell took some time off. When asked whether she was obligated to do so, he replied with “I have no further comments”, leaving the answer open to interpretation. One thing is sure, that she is not at work, and that her service vehicle is parked in front of the station, pending the end of her vacation.
On the other hand, this entire matter did not sit well within the Aruban Police Corps. They feel like it is often the case that they are at the center of bad news due to accusations against the same person. The victim of Blauw’s crimes, Chaldira Vis, also made declarations on social media that garnered a lot of attention and sympathy from the community. What’s more, the public in more in favor of Vis than they are supportive of Hassell. Especially after the commissioner stated that she believes that the ex-convict has the right to a second chance in life while she, the victim, got no such chance and will be paralyzed and bedridden for the rest of her life.
Police commanders will be taking a closer look at the complaints to analyze whether the commissioner’s acts were prudent or not and whether it is acceptable for the police to use their service vehicles to conduct such favors. Also, the commissioner spoke about her organization “Let’s Talk” that helps those who have strayed off the right path. She thinks that what she did was an act of righteousness. But amongst the police, they wonder if it is normal police commissioner behavior to go searching for ex-criminals outside of the prison. Especially when it revolves around a convict that committed a heinous crime that had such a large impact on the entire community.
