Walking Beat Returns To Cedar Hill

Bryan Phillips and Paul Vitale came across a rogue cable wire from a vacant retail space randomly stretched across the sidewalk and buried in snow. Somebody could have tripped over it, so they put the cable out of reach.

Phillips and Vitale happened to be walking by — because that’s their new job assignment. They are two of 25 newly minted rookie cops beginning neighborhood assignments across town. They’re walking a beat in Cedar Hill, an often forgotten pocket of the city tucked behind East Rock near the Hamden border.

During a recent shift, they also walked by some boarded-up properties that looked like they might need some attention. They made notes to share with city government’s Livable City Initiative.

That’s all part of the job of walking a patrol beat, in addition to catching criminals. Cedar Hill has had sporadic coverage from walking cops over the years; when the department is at low personnel strength, there isn’t always enough people-power to spare a dedicated beat. (Click here and here to read about previous officers assigned to the neighborhood, and here about neighbors’ past pleas for coverage.) Now, with a new class hitting the street (and another on the way), the department has sent Phillips and Vitale to become the new cops on the block.

They’re looking for a little of everything, including opportunities to connect with residents and business owners in the neighborhood.

“Our aim is to keep our senses and eyes open,” Vitale said as he and Phillips worked their way through the slush that has become the snow-ice-water mix that covered most of the sidewalks of the neighborhood.

Vitale isn’t a stranger to New Haven. The 35-year-old, who grew up in Hamden and Bridgeport, has lived in New Haven for the last decade. Prior to becoming an officer he worked as a restaurant manager. His brother Amaro Vitale, who also works for the department, suggested that he apply because of his interest in working for the government and in the community. He’s finishing a political science degree at Southern Connecticut State University.

Phillips, 23, is originally from Naugatuck; he worked for New Haven Home Recovery (now called New Reach), an agency that helps the homeless, before he joined the department. He said he wanted to become a police officer because he wanted a job that wasn’t the same every day.

The two Cedar Hill officers are certainly getting that. They stopped by Gallo’s Appliance, a longstanding fixture in the neighborhood, to chat with owner Marie Gallo (pictured). She wanted to let them know about a community meeting coming up the next day.

They let her know about an arrest in relation to a couple of nearby crime hotspots; they said to expect more arrests.

That’s part of the way community policing works, the officers said. They get to know the neighbors and the neighbors get to know them, and hopefully, they gather and share intelligence that makes the neighborhood safer.

Gallo said she was happy to have the officers back walking the neighborhood.

“I’m happy any time the chief puts officers here,” she said. ​“People forget, but we’re here. I love these guys.”

Both officers called out greetings to people in the neighborhood, including to three men shoveling a sidewalk and a little girl enthusiastically waving from her front porch.The officers made a point to greet or attempt to greet most every person they passed, whether the person was standing on a front porch, or they were passing them on the sidewalk. Some of the greetings were returned straight away, others were returned cautiously.

Phillips politely reminded a couple of men standing in front of a barbershop on State Street that loitering in front of the stores was not permitted. One man was smoking a cigarette; Phillips told him that he’ll have to head back inside, or move along once he’s done.

When the officers rolled up on a man working under the hood of a Honda Civic, Vitale, who is the more gregarious of the two, chatted him up about his car. The car was overheating. Vitale said he’s a car guy, and Hondas are kind of his thing, as they pair proceeded to compare notes on engines and various makes of Honda.

The man said that the car has a couple of hundred thousand miles on it. ​“They’re good cars, but they don’t last forever,” Vitale told the man. They all shook hands and the officers moved along,

Vitale and Phillips stopped by a house near the corner of Cedar Hill Avenue and Warren Place to talk with an 18-year-old named Issac. The officers met the teen when they helped him squash an incident at the bus stop a few weeks ago.

“How’s it going buddy?” Phillips asked.

“I’m good,” Issac said. Turns out he was really good. He recently got a new job at Home Depot. It’s temporary, with the potential to go full time. Vitale encouraged him to stick with it, noting that a permanent position could bring perks like bonus money and a raise. It would also give Issac an opportunity to work until he’s old enough to try out for the police department. ​“Both he and his dad are interested,” Vitale said later.

With eyes peeled, the officers walked all over Cedar Hill, multiple times during their shift. As night began to fall, Phillips noticed an older man in front of the Hess gas station who appeared to be having a problem standing up. He went over to check on him.

“I have a bad back,” the man said. ​“I’m OK.”

Phillips wasn’t convinced, particularly as the man finally straightened, but then ambled toward the very busy State Street.

“Sir, let’s step over here and cross the street at the crosswalk,” Phillips suggested.

“I got hit by a car crossing the street that way,” the man said as a car whizzed past him.

“Sir, legally, I can’t let you cross the street right there,” Phillips said. They all waited for the crossing signals together.

“Thanks for the help,” the man said, and ambled away.