Esserman Has 42 Sick Days Left

42 days sick leave, 1 1/2 mt. enough time to find a job.
Or get hurt on sick leave and get $ from the town. Hurt on the job!!!!!!!!!!!

Sick leave, but he isn't really sick? Or is he?

AT: He is sick. His uncontrolled outbursts indicate mental illness. From what I read, he has some great ideas and has implemented some good programs, but suffers from deep-seated lack of impulse control and narcissism which makes hiim unsuitable for any leadership or management position. He should be a consultant. Perhaps Baltimore would off him a job. Narcissism is pretty much a job requirement for consultants, who thrive on telling others how to do jobs the consultant has never done.

I am sure the calculations are incorrect. He used a significant amount of sick time for illness and surgery in the last year,also while he is on this sick leave will he be capable to teach at Yale this semester.

I don't care how much time he has on the books, it's past time for him to go. GOOD BYE

The facts as published in the NHI, together with the list that circulated, make a persuasive case for Esserman's unsuitability to continue as the Chief of Police.

The lack of public trust in his ability to do the job without inappropriate drama, coupled with the No Confidence vote by the rank and file, also point to a diminished respect for Esserman in his professional capacity.

While it is easy for us to view anyone as black or white in terms of their behavior, most of us are neither extreme, and I doubt that Esserman is either.

A good strategy now would be for him to "declare a victory and pull out" - which is somewhat what the US did in withdrawing rather messily from its losing war in Vietnam.

The weekly repetitions of his failings is beginning to make me feel almost (but not completely) sorry for him. I do not want to be part of a mob calling for his end.

I hope Chief Esserman will extricate himself gracefully from this public drama by finding an appropriate moment to resign. Spare the Mayor, who is proceeding slowly and thoughtfully, spare her more damage to her reputation as she tries to find a solution that will not add to the financial burdens of an already financially stressed city, but end this public morass.

Wait, I heard Yale fired him from his role as a professor. Something to do with him bring an embarrassment to the Yale community.

I am sick of hearing how Chief Dean Esserman is doing a good job.People said police Chief Bull Connorwho was a Democrat did a good job for the city of Birmingham, Alabama.But look at what he also did. Chief Dean Esserman reminds me of this police Chief.

Scene from In The Heat Of The Night

https://youtu.be/0oCjDBQMPlw

This 42 day sick day leave that Chief Esserman has been granted by Mayor Harp I hope is being closely monitored. How is that Chief Esserman can go from 10 sick days and all of a sudden to 42 days of extra sick time?

The last time I took an extended amount of time off and exceeded my sick time, vacation time or any personal time I had to present a physicians certificate to my employer explaining why I had been out of work for the length of time I had taken.

Now unless the rules in which employers monitor and document an employees absence and sick time has changed then I will refrain from commenting further. It should be anticipated that Chief Essermans sick time leave should be documented as either a physical injury or an emotional mental health issue. Which is it? Lastly, it is not expected that an answer to that previous question be given due to the HIPPA laws.

To the more important matter. If Chief Esserman is in fact out of work on a sick leave due to mental distress or duress shouldn't he have to surrender his service weapon? This has been addressed on several occasions by NHI readers surrounding Chief Essermans directive to go out on sick leave per his boss Mayor Harp for personal and career duress.

This should be a major concern by the citizens of the city because of the nature of why Chief Esserman is not running the helm of the NHPD.

This is NONSENSE! There are at least a dozen officers past and present who can come forward and show that even when they had medial factors that had been documented, NUMEROUS times they were disciplined both blatantly and indirectly for take off SICK days that they had earned! the issues this man has are greed, power, personal insecurities, narsiscm and the list goes on. Again as I have previously stated this will come back and bite the city in its pockets because you don't arbitrarily decided that one punishment is good for one and not the other. chronic migraine suffers, endometriosis, all medical conditions..having a tantrum is not a condition that affords one to take off on sick time. hell even officers that have worked four months straight with out a single day,have sick children at home, or sick parents or ill spouse or going thru horrific divorce aren't allowed to go off on someone multiple times because they are stressed and then given paid leave to regroup and when that isnt enough given the option to use numerous sick days. This is embarrassing and discriminatory to the hard working committed officers and civilians that work in NHPD and all the other city departments.

I'm hoping someone can explain this to me.

I understand the guy has been rude to some people. I interviewed he Chief for more than an hour and thought he was smart, thoughtful, had a big ego, seemed - pretty much like most of the people I interview in that regard. Maybe a little more ego, but comes with the territory, in government and politics, successful business, by no means worse than almost any of the academics I've interviewed

I guess it shows how far we've come if being rude gets you potentiality canned as a Police Chief, and people call you mentally ill and want your head. I understand out of control officers, corruption, community anger, but this seems so much like people think they live in Steppford.

So I'm confused about is why are people agitating for his removal, is there some other story that I don't know, is it a Police Union organized - get the guys head thing?

Certainly no official should be rude to a waitress, no one should be, but really that's what we got rude to an usher at a Football Game and to waitress and lots of people are up in arms.

Do we now live on the Planet Politeness?

I say this because I try very much to be polite myself, but I would never regard it as any kind of core necessity for everyone else.

So I just figure something else is at play and I am hoping to be informed as to what it is.

Just because they can? Is someone else more loved on the horizon? its not making sense to me.

In fact it does irritate me that this whole someone's "role models" and the like has subjected nearly everyone to the SOCIAL MEDIA TALIBAN . I almost wish I make some misstep so the SMT comes after me, because I would love to say .... - well I can't say it it wouldn't be polite.

@Mitchell Young. Perhaps you have either been away on some type of missionary work which is not to undermine the great volunteer work they do in 3rd world countries of the world or you have been isolated on a deserted island.

There has been numerous police related incidents and shootings in urban communities across the country over the past several years where African American males have lost their lives due to irrational and uncontrollable behavior.

As you want to try and to dismiss the fact that there is something inherently wrong with citizens wanting Chief Esserman removed from his position within the NHPD because of his narrcistic, arrogance and temper that it's a "Witch Hunt".

Mr. Young you can not be further from the truth of why many people are encouraging Mayor Harp to remove Chief Esserman from the NHPD. In fact Chief Essermans behavior is why urban communities and African Americans have such a high mistrust of policing.

The 1% of the police officers and supervisors of policing who violate and I say the 1% of those police officials which may be an exaggerated number who conduct themselves in egregious, contemptuous and felonious manners where lives may be lost due to over zealous behavior need to be weeded out.

This is no conspiracy or hidden agenda on anyone's part. Chief Essermans behavior and conduct has nothing to do with race in case anyone may try to walk that card down this road. This has to do with character, respect, trust and integrity.

Lastly Mr. Young I can only agree with you on the fact that no one is perfect but when you take a sworn oath to "protect and serve" the community that you serve and in the same breath you go into the community and turn around only to abuse and to intimidate because you can then something is grossly wrong.

Chief Esserman is why the image of policing is strained because people are sitting back saying that he is granted preferential treatment for his behavior which is not right in any municipality.

MY: Rude is not saying "please" or "thank you." Esserman's repeated tantrums demonstrate an inability to control his emotions. They are a sign of arrested development. They are not isolated, but have been a mark of his career (read the Providence press). They should not be tolerated in any police officer, and certainly not in the leader and public face of the department, who should set a example. In any case, as Bass said, he is not coming back. He cannot. This sick leave is just a stall, while an exit plan is negotiated between him and the mayor's office.

Sincerity et al - I haven't been on a dessert island, I would of course prefer that. I was.

I never carry water for a public official - to the contrary - but I'm still looking for the source of the animus. I agree it isn't racial.

And yes, I know what has been happening in police departments around the country and communities, but we haven't seen that in New Haven.

I don't count myself as any kind of expert on New Haven's PD. But the first chief I remember following was Biaggio [Ben] Dilieto. Now he was a chain smokin' SOB and although he did elected Mayor he probably wouldn't be well accepted in New Haven today.

We may have different views as to what is "rude" behavior, but again all I've seen is he was disrespectful to an usher at a football game and to a waitress.

I'm not excusing that, but hey the state supreme court just said you' cant fire a guy for smoking marijuana on the job if you're a state employee. And at least for now that's illegal.

So there are lawsuits in the Dept. - check - there are some lawsuits including huge settlements in PDs across the country.

I am waiting for one NHI poster to tell me the name of a single New Haven public official [ in the past twenty years] that has lasted for more than a few years in a public position that you like - and I guess - why.

I think this chief came in there was a dispirited PD and 34 murders, now 15.

Crime across the board has been steadily declining. I don't know what accounts for that decline, but maybe we should give SOME credit to PD management.

New Haven may well be one of the best examples of "white privilege" we can find in America. It does however, have a good, respectful police department and again I certainly don't attribute it to Chief Esserman alone but he has to get some credit.

All i can see at work is a SOCIAL MEDIA TALIBAN - so I ask again present something beyond rude.

Did you want Bill Clinton impeached? Or do you excuses Donald Trump?

@ Mitchell Young although we have minor differences here which is always good to agree to disagree.

Having said that, the real issue at hand is not whether pubic officials over the last twenty years and former Police Chief / Mayor Dilieto's behavior was just as bad as Chief Essermans to date.

This is about a behavior that is no longer tolerated in the 21st Century in the police culture. The behavior of Chief Dilieto as you pointed out was twenty years ago. That was a time when that behavior was the norm within policing and video technology was not figured into the equation to serve as a checks and balance.

Mr. Young, you scribed that you are aware what has been occurring in police departments across the country but we have not seen those things in New Haven.

Does that mean the City of New Haven is immune from similar incidents like we've seen in New York, Ferguson, Baltimore, Louisiana and Dallas? Or Chiefs of Police or Officers are not capable of displaying conduct unbecoming in New Haven?

To infer that the NHI and Mr. Paul Bass who has been the investigative reporter and empowering the residents with information of this city as the "Social Media Tabiban" is reckless at best.

This is not about judging "John and Jane Doe's" behavior. This is about assessing and reporting the egregious behavior of a sworn Police Chief where there is an expectation to perform in a professional manner with integrity.

Mr. Young the profession of policing is going though a major overhaul in trying to become more transparent and accountable. Chief Essermans behavior can be best described as draconian.

Lastly again Mr. Young, Chief Esserman did not change the climate or suppress crime in New Haven. So please do not try to make him out to be the savior of criminal justice reform here.

The real credit goes out to the women and men of the NHPD who take pride in what they do.
Chief Esserman did not motivate them or there would not have been a vote of no confidence go figure!

@ Mitchell Young:

Today I spoke with someone who was present at Archie Moore's when Esserman's latest public meltdown (his word) occurred. He said he didn't know who E. was at the time, but he was loud and verbally abusive to the waitress and demanding to see the owner (who was not present).
The eye witness said that other diners said that this was NOT the first time they had seen E. act out there.
If you review the detailed and thoughtful comments generated by this article, you will see documentation as to bullying behavior at the Yale Bowl (threatened to shut down the game because he was asked for his ticket) and a vote of No Confidence by his officers. There are also reports of misbehavior in Providence, RI.
So I don't believe this is a case of Social Media Taliban, as you call it, but a lack of confidence is E's personal stability and his ability to handle the command of a police force, especially when some officers act out in the same way and it is not dealt with.
As I've said previously, the Chief should resign and salvage what is left of his reputation.

Mitchell Young you are correct. There is nothing wrong with Chief Esserman except the values of Politi al Correctness gone haywire.
I commented last week and it was not posted so I will try again. No one remembers the past Chief Limon and how Esserman found the city when he was hired. It was a mess.
He has tried and tried to clean it up.
You wait until you see who they are choosing. This has become a media witch hunt.

My issue is not mere political correctness.

New Haven's Police Department and it officers have earned and deserve the support of everyone in New Haven.The officers should be rightly credited for reductions in crime and generally good community support.

Having said that.
The current chief has his own record in New Haven and citing Providence is just "litigating" the issue. When I hear what is "acceptable in the 21st Century", I don't know what are these new rules and who makes them.

I had earnestly believed there was a back story - beyond the issues within the Department itself which led to the no confidence vote.

Frankly those issues have not been well exposed. I have heard from folks that seem to know more than me that, Esserman as a "roughshod change agent" is the real issue within the PD.

If it is so, any Chief should certainly find a new way of making change in a matter more respectful of New Haven's officers. And we shouldn't cut any slack there, but that should be doable and repairable..

But the reality is that calls for his resignation/ firing started with boorish, overbearing bad behavior toward a waitress, not on meaningful official business.

It wasn't pushing someone down on the sidewalk, tolerating brutality, a rift with the community..

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I have come to see this situation as some folks in New Haven essentially wanting to "join in", the minority community versus the police issue that is troubling so many cities.

Ironically I haven't seen [correct me] the minority community generally that is agitating for Esserman's head.

We have seen recent calls for more minority representation within the police force, but from the Desert Island I was on, I didn't see that issue raised much against Esserman in the past few years, and I'm not confident the Union would be all that supportive.

So start over with a new person, wait three years and then tear him or her down - that's the modus operandi that I see.

@ Mitchell Young although this may sound or appear that this looks like an ongoing running diatribe and battle that other NHI readers may think you and I have.

I would have to admit that I can agree with you that the Union would not be supportive of any type of grievance against Chief Esserman pertaining to any racial issues because there isn't any supportive documentation or legal actions.

What I take issue to is that the behavior and the entitlement is what citizens are bringing up. If you will, take the position of the every day New Haven citizen. If they were to go into a business especially a well known establishment as "Archie Moore's" and attempted to cause a disturbance as Chief Esserman had.

Would the mangement have been wrong to have notified the NHPD to make a complaint of an individual causing a breach of peace? NO! So to respond to your your statement about there are some NHI readers who are weighing in on trying to make this a "Police vs. Minority" issue is not accurate.

I see that police against minorities is not the issue. The issue is why is Chief Esserman not being held to that old proverbial higher standard of expectations of being in a leadership role and conducting himself as a Chief of Police is supposed to?

No. Chief Esserman did not push anyone down on to the ground but still his bullish and out of control temper is in question. Again this ongoing media tribunal would be the result of any public official who was assigned the task of moving a department or community in a more productive and safe manner.

Lastly, I implore you to put yourself in the position of the Det./Sgt. Providence PD who Chief Esserman actually threw the coffee on, the Retired Senior Usher at the Yale Bowl, the US Secret Service Agent at Tweed who he threatened, the Waitress at Archie Moores and the Administrative Clerk at the NHPD.

Don't you think they are the grandparent, mother, father and sister of someone?

I certainly would never be mistaken for a fan or supporter of Esserman, but I have to correct something from the last post by Sincerity.

Esserman did not actually throw coffee on a subordinate while at Providence PD. He only threatened to do so, saying it in front of many witnesses at a meeting. He was disciplined for that.

@ Ex-NHPD I want to further explain that in fact Chief Esserman did throw a cup of coffee at the Det/Sgt. This was told to me personally by a retired Capt. of the Providence Police Department. This was told to me on Sunday straight out of his mouth.

Every Providence news source (print and television) I have seen on the "coffee" incident reported that he threatened to throw coffee and that he was suspended for one day.

I think it is safe to assume that IF he actually completed the act and threw coffee at/on the subordinate, he would have received more than one day off AND all the reports in the local press would reflect that; there would have been outrage from the PPD Union if all the press reports downplayed the incident.

Again, I am as far from being a supporter of Esserman as you will find. There is enough in his hissy fit history to sink him without altering the story and giving his supporters ammunition to say that his incident(s) are exaggerated.

He served the Providence PD for 8 1/2 years. He was credited by many as revamping a
corrupt police department.

He was reappointed to his position by Mayors that did not recruit him in Providence and New Haven.

He has served in New Haven for more than four years.

On this board there is a focus on a coffee throwing incident, which I believe generated a one day suspension. six or more years ago.

And you don't see your actions as Social Media Taliban. I have not been a friend or supporter or particularly even a fan of Chief Esserman. I am a fan of the NHPD.

As I said from my post I don't get it, these posts make it harder for me to see him as the problem, but i expect the SMT to win.

I am looking forward to applying the new "It is the 21st Century Standard" of governance.