Sam Gurwitt Photo
Hamden’s mayor has decided he wants his acting police chief to become the full police chief, at least for up to a year.
The mayor, Curt Leng, made that announcement in a press release issued Thursday night.
He announced that he has negotiated a six-month contract with Acting Chief John Cappiello (pictured) to serve as the chief, with a six-month option to renew.
In the meantime, Leng has put on hold the work of a selection committee that had been advising him on the job description for a new permanent chief. The release states that the committee, headed by the Rev. Keith King, will resume its work at some point in 2020.
The contract with Cappiello must still receive approval from the Legislative Council before it becomes effective.
Leng also tapped a veteran lieutenant, John Sullivan, to serve as acting deputy under the new plan.
Cappiello, the son of a former police chief (of the Yale police force), has been a Hamden cop since 1984. He has been serving as acting chief during two controversial incidents that brought protesters to the department and a statewide spotlight on the cops: An incident involving an officer who threatened to shoot an immigrant during a traffic stop and report him to immigration authorities; and an incident in which an officer shot up a car with two unarmed people inside, one of whom was hospitalized as a result.
Leng said he made this latest decision in the interest of promoting stability.
“Chief Cappiello has proven himself, through decades of service and a very intense year as acting chief, to be a leader with great integrity and incomparable work ethic,” Leng stated in the release. “His professional experience, institutional knowledge and commitment to the safety of our community assures me that he is the right choice for this important time when stability is essential. He will lead a Hamden Police Department focused on crime prevention, and will continue to increase the successful community-oriented policing direction Hamden has been building on.”
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