Police, Governor Mourn Beloved Captain

The New Haven Police Department and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy are mourning the death of retired Capt. Jeff Hoffman.

The department rank and file were notified Wednesday evening of Hoffman’s passing, according to a press release. Hoffman was 46 and had retired from the department on June 30, 2015. The cause of his death was not released Thursday.

He joined the police department in May 1995 and rose through the ranks to hold positions in investigative services and the detective division. He also was a supervisor in the Tactical Narcotics Unit and a district manager. He rounded out his career as captain of patrol for the department.

“Those that knew and worked with Jeff have been stunned by the news of his death,” Officer David Hartman said in the press release. ​“Chief Anthony Campbell, the members of Class III of the Police Academy and the entire police force express their heartfelt condolences to Jeff’s family and brother Officer William Hoffman – currently a motor officer in the department’s traffic division.

Hartman, who came through the academy with Hoffman, said that their academy class was a small one, with just 17 people. Because of its size, the class was incredibly tight-knit, Hartman said.

“The closeness that we shared was unprecedented in this department,” Hartman, who’d last seen Hoffman about three weeks ago at a party, said. ​“We all really got to know each other very well and we were social friends from minute one.”

He said Hoffman would be remembered for his subtle but hysterical sense of humor. ​“He wasn’t one to deliver a punchline,” he said. ​“You had to think about it for a moment. He was known more for his brilliance.”

Governor Malloy, who appointed Hoffman to the state Board of Pardons and Paroles in 2016, offered his condolences in a press release Thursday.

“Jeff dedicated his career to improving public safety for the people of Connecticut, including twenty years of service as a police officer with the New Haven Police Department. His passing is a terrible loss for the Board of Pardons and Paroles. I extend my deepest condolences to his friends and family, his colleagues on the board, and those he served with on the NHPD.”