New Haven Independent

The monthly WEB (Whalley/ Edgewood/ Beaver Hills) Management Team meeting is often a passionate, emotional affair. This summer, its district made the news when local rabbis and neighbors formed an armed patrol, brought in the Guardian Angels and called for the resignation of Chief of Police Francisco Ortiz. Recently, they’ve taken on the Department of Corrections’ practice of dropping off ex-offenders at the district’s doorstep in the wee hours of the morning.

This isn’t a group that just rolls over.

Sgt. Shea, an officer with nearly 20 years of NHPD service under his belt, has managed the WEB district for four and a half years. Tuesday night’s Management Team meeting was his last.

Successor Lt. Kevin Costin attended Tuesday night’s meeting and was introduced by Capt. Bryan Kearney, head of the Patrol division.

Capt. Kearney opened his remarks by welcoming residents who’d packed the Whalley Avenue substation to “the changing of the guard.” But the news hadn’t reached everyone. “Whatya mean, he’s leaving?” a regular meeting attendee cried out.

Although district leaders and residents had only recently been informed of the new appointment, Kearney explained that the process had started “quite some time ago.” The district manager position is usually filled by a lieutenant; a long-standing shortage of ranking officers had opened the door to Shea taking over the leadership.

Capt. Kearney went on to recognize Sgt. Shea’s many achievements and long record of service to the community, and encouraged those in attendance to work with Lt. Costin to make the transition a smooth one. “Keep it strong, keep it going,” he urged.

The room fell silent as Sgt. Shea presented his monthly district crime report, a routine part of the meeting. Then he went on to praise his officers and the WEB group.

“I don’t remember a meeting like this since last summer,” he said to the packed room, a reference to the crowds that attended meetings over the summer to discuss and debate the Edgewood Park Defense Patrol (EPDP).

Shea credited officers assigned to the district for reducing crime rates and praised residents for their involvement and innovation. He urged people to not “lose sight of the vision” during this transitional period.

It is not yet clear how long Shea will remain in the WEB district or where he’s headed next. The chief of police makes the final decision, but according to Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts, Shea deserves “a really plum assignment.”

Many WEB Management Team members expressed sadness at the change in leadership. Some at the meeting felt that the district was just beginning to see fruition of its efforts, and although they were committed to working with Lt. Costin, it was a step backwards to have to begin again with a new manager.

Liz McCormack (pictured) has worked with four different district managers during her career as alderwoman of the 24th Ward. She praised Sgt. Shea’s work with the district, emphasizing that officers, residents and business owners alike respected him.

McCormack and Ward 28 Alderman Moti Sandman found out only last week about the change in leadership and quickly sent off a letter to the mayor’s office, “cc’ing everyone,” she said. “We felt if it wasn’t broken, don’t fix it.”

The mayor sent back a letter saying that their concerns would be taken into consideration, but ultimately, said McCormack, “the decision had been made to fill all District Manager positions with lieutenants.”

LCI Neighborhood Specialist Elaine Braffman has worked closely with Sgt. Shea investigating property violations for the past four and a half years and refers to him as her “professional soulmate.” “We’re both determined, thick-skinned and willful,” she explained.

She described Shea as a rare officer, “a cop that accepted and worked with the Angels and the EPDP — he didn’t agree with the armed part, but he worked with them.”

She added that his only fault was “a lack of good judgment by being a Red Sox fan.”

Eliezer Greer, organizer of the EPDP and manager of a number of properties in the district, describes his interactions with Sgt. Shea as “an extremely positive experience,” adding that Shea was comfortable working with everyone, “no matter which group of people or institution” was involved.

Greer related a story that he felt was characteristic of the respectful way that Shea worked with people in the district. “It was Friday afternoon, two or three years ago. Right before Shabbos,” the Jewish Sabbath, which begins at sundown on Friday night. Greer was jumping in the shower when he got a call from a tenant that a car had crashed through the fence surrounding their yard.

With minutes to spare before sundown, Greer grabbed his camera and ran off to document the damage. Sgt. Shea was already on the scene.

“He said to me, ‘what’s all the photography for?’ I told him it was right before Shabbos and I needed to get my own record” of the damage.

“Sgt. Shea said to me, ‘give me the camera, I’ll make sure you get the pictures. You go home.’”