Paul Bass Photo
Esserman and Harp at a recent event celebrating the drop in crime.
Mayor Toni Harp has formally reprimanded Police Chief Dean Esserman for his conduct at a Yale-Army football game and put him on notice that similar behavior in the future will lead to “more severe consequences.”
The reprimand and warning came in the form of a letter hand-delivered to the chief late Wednesday.
Harp’s letter praised Esserman’s overall performance as police chief, then informed him that his future in the job depends on “ensur[ing] that the actions of September 27th are never again repeated.”
On that day, Esserman attended the Yale-Army game at the Yale Bowl. An elderly usher declined to let him in without a ticket. Esserman proceeded to berate the usher as well as a Yale professor who witnessed the exchange; then to demand that a supervisor fire the usher or risk having the game shut down.
Esserman told the mayor and Yale officials about his conduct soon after. The matter came to public view last week when an email detailing the incident and written by the Yale professor, Dan Weinberger, was made public by the Board of Alders. (Click here to read the full letter and more about the fallout.) The Board of Police Commissioners has since decided to take up the matter at its meeting next month. A letter began circulating among alders this week calling on the mayor to take action.
Esserman Wednesday evening called the mayor’s letter to him “appropriate.”
“I accept the reprimand. Wrong is wrong. No police officer, including me, is above the rules of behavior,” he said.
“Community Feel[s] Disrespected”
“By this letter, I am reprimanding you for the incident that occurred at the Yale-Army game on September 27, 2014 and warning you that any such future occurrence will result in more severe consequences,” Harp’s letter began.
“During the course of your tenure as the City’s Chief of Police, the City of New Haven has made great strides in addressing violent crime. The community policing efforts led by you and your command staff and carried out by the men and women of the New Haven Department of Police Services (‘NHPD’) have been critical to improving public safety in the City. Of course, a key component of community policing is respect for New Haven residents.
“On September 27th, however, your actions at the Yale Bowl resulted in members of the New Haven community feeling disrespected rather than respected and distrustful of the NHPD’s use of authority rather than trustful in it.
“While, shortly after this incident occurred, you brought this matter to my attention, took responsibility for your actions and apologized to officials at Yale University for your behavior, any action that so threatens the public’s trust warrants a letter of reprimand from me as well as a warning for a failure to heed this notice in the future. This type of behavior cannot and will not be tolerated and any such future infraction will result in more severe consequences.
“As the City’s chief law enforcement officer, you must understand the importance of the position you hold and behave in a manner that dignifies the office. As I noted above, the City of New Haven has been the beneficiary of significant improvements in public safety during your time as Chief of Police and I hope and expect that, in the days and years to come, you will continue to lead the NHPD in achieving even greater public safety in this City. That is only possible if you take this letter seriously and ensure that the actions of September 27th are never again repeated.”
Harp signed the letter “very truly yours.”
A Fuller Picture
Reached Wednesday, Harp chose to have the letter speak for itself rather than discuss a personnel matter. She repeated that she continues to have confidence in the chief.
Her chief of staff, Tomas Reyes, said that the letter didn’t come earlier because Esserman had “immediately” informed him and Harp officials about having conducted himself badly at the game, and apologized. They hadn’t seen the professor’s email until its public release last week, Reyes said. That email offered more details about the incident.
As a result, Reyes said, “the community is concerned about his behavior, and so are we,” which is why the mayor decided to issue the written reprimand and warning.
Downtown Alderwoman Abby Roth wrote the letter to Harp about the incident and has been collecting signatures from colleagues before formally sending it. Other community members have been privately speaking with Harp about the need to take action about the incident.
“If nothing happens to him, how do you discipline other officers?” Roth asked in an interview Wednesday. (Click here for a story about a disciplinary case that Esserman handled this week.) Roth called it “especially important” in light of the current national controversy over police misconduct that officers not “escalate” encounters with the public the way Esserman did at the Yale Bowl.
Again,Snake-oil and Politricks being sold.Look People knew that the mayor was not going to get rid of the good old chief.I wonder now what the Board of Police Commissioners will do?