Paul Bass Photo
Clyburn: “Nobody is going to get upset with them.”
New Haven’s soon-to-be 37 newest cops were set to meet neighbors in Newhallville and get a head start on community policing. Then the Ferguson mess broke out.
The meet-and-greet had been scheduled for Tuesday night at the monthly meeting of the Newhallville Community Management Team. Top Newhallville cop Lt. Herb Sharp had arranged for all 37 members of the current police academy class to attend.
Newhallville Alder Delphine Clyburn jumped at the idea, handing out hundreds of copies of a flyer (pictured at right) as part of her efforts to ensure a big turnout.
Hours before the event Tuesday, Sharp informed Clyburn that he was postponing the event because of the controversy occurring in the wake of the decision by a Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury not to indict a white police officer who shot an 18-year-old black man to death.
“We had this Ferguson thing happening last night. I have to watch over these guys. I’m responsible for that whole class,” Sharp said late Tuesday.
“It’s going to happen,” Sharp promised. “But recruits are not full-fledged police officers, are not ready to hit the streets yet. This is not the right time. A lot of turmoil is going on in the country. These are recruits. These are young kids. They are not police officers yet.”
The idea behind the meeting was to have the recruits introduce themselves to neighbors, talk about why they became cops; and to have the neighbors in turn introduce themselves and describe public-safety concerns in Newhallville.
“I told Delphine we can always do it next month when everything settles down. It’s a good idea. I like the idea,” Sharp said.
“I am so hurt,” Clyburn said after learning of the postponement.
She said she felt the Ferguson news made it an even better time for neighbors to meet the recruits.
“Nobody was going to get upset with them,” she said. “This could have been a good thing to talk about. Let them hear how the people feel about it.”
Sharp did attend Tuesday night’s meeting himself. He brought two of the neighborhood’s current patrol officers with him.
Clyburn said afterward that the two dozen attendees appreciated the conversation, praised the work of the police in the neighborhood, and accepted Sharp’s explanation for the delay in bringing the recruits. Sharp promised the session will take place next month.
sharp doesn't trust his recruits, doesn't trust the management team, or both. this meet could have been a great contrast to what's been happening in the rest of the country, and now it's a missed opportunity. the police are being taught to see themselves as above the community, not a part of it, and this is a good example.