New Haven Independent

He also explained steps he’s about to take on his new job leading the investigations division to make New Haven safer for kids and everyone else.

Reichard was sworn as one of four assistant police chiefs at a ceremony at police headquarters Thursday afternoon. He said that as a young man of 20 he was drawn to police work because of the macho badge and the uniform and the shining car. “I wanted, you know, to save the world, to win the war. Over time, as I rose through the ranks, I realized it wasn’t the war that’s to be won, but the little battles, helping one family at a time.”

For example, during his tenure as district manager in Westville, from 2000 to 2006, he closed down one drug house, and then another. “That’s a lovely community there. I worked with the neighbors, one area at a time, and it was very satisfying.”

No surprise, the need for connecting to people, especially families of murder victims, has been a big part of his recent work. After his wife Colleen ( a parole officer whom he met on the job) “badged” him at Friday’s ceremony, Reichard reflected that “life really is precious.”

When a cop says that, there’s a special meaning: “I’ve been to hundreds of homicides, thousands of accidents, and seen more people suffer than you can imagine. Relating to people becomes very important. In these last months, after a homicide, we always maintain close contact with family members, all the way up to an arrest, and afterwards if we can.”

New Haven expanded its roster from two to four assistant police chiefs based on a recommendation by the so-called “PERF” report, written by outside experts in the wake of a corruption scandal. The other assistant chiefs are Stephanie Redding for administration, Roy Brown for internal affairs, and Kenneth Gillespie, for operations, whose appointment is pending.

Reichard was selected from more than a dozen candidates internal and external, by a committee composed of Chief James Lewis, city Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts, and Yale Police Chief Vincent Perrotti. “The police are a paramilitary organization,” said Smuts. “And following orders is important. But Pete not only had the resume, we also saw he understood the role not only as fulfilling the wishes of the chief, but helping to lead. And he was ready.”

Other assignments Reichard has fulfilled include having supervised ID-NET and managing the department’s family services division.

It was Reichard, Chief Lewis said in his remarks, who took the initiative to organize the first prostitution sting operations currently arresting johns and prostitutes alike. Those will continue indefinitely, Reichard said. More changes are on the way.

Narcotics

Reichard said his immediate plans include re-establishing the narcotics unit, which was disassembled after the Billy White corruption scandal. “The first step is put interim supervisors in place, we hope by October. By November, we’ll have revised policy protocols. And by the end of the year or perhaps early in 2009, we’ll have officers on the street.”

He estimated six to 12 detectives to be in the narcotics unit. He said some of the training was going to come through ten slots being provided the department by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

In addition, the organization chart of Reichard’s investigative division is being reconfigured into four units: crime investigations, special investigations (the former family services), vice and narcotics, and investigative support, which includes services like handling property and evidence.

But before all this happens, Reichard had time for many hugs and some congratulatory cake with his colleagues. His next imeediate plan: a steak dinner out with Colleen.

Read other installments in the Independent’s “Cop of the Week” series:

• Shafiq Abdussabur
• Dennis Burgh
• Sydney Collier
• David Coppola
• Joe Dease
• Brian Donnelly
• Anthony Duff
• David Zaweski
• Bertram Etienne
• Jeffrey Fletcher
• Renee Forte
• William Gargone & Mike Torre
• Jon Haddad & Daniela Rodriguez
• Dan Hartnett
• Ray Hassett
• Ronnell Higgins
• Racheal Inconiglios
• Hilda Kilpatrick
• Anthony Maio
• Steve McMorris
• Stephanie Redding
• Tony Reyes
• Luis & David Rivera
• Salvador Rodriguez
• Brett Runlett
• David Runlett
• Marcus Tavares
• Martin Tchakirides
• Stephan Torquati
• Kelly Turner
• Alan Wenk
• Michael Wuchek

(To suggest an officer to be featured, contact us here.)