Sam Gurwitt Photo
Jenna Davis, Elvin Rivera, and Brian Jackson.
New Haven Police Chief Anthony Campbell showed up to watch three of his cops get new badges Wednesday — in Hamden.
They were read the oath inside the rotunda of the old Town Hall on Wednesday, and they replied “I do” in unison.
Like dozens of other New Haven cops over the past year, they left the city department for salaries generally $15,000 to $20,000 a year better, with better benefits, in the suburbs.
Elvin Rivera, who retired from New Haven in June 2018 after 20 and a half years of service, was also sworn in as a new Hamden cop..
“It is a loss for New Haven, but it is a testament to the quality of the officers we have,” Campbell reflected.
New Haven Police Chief Anthony Campbell: testament to the quality of New Haven’s officers.
So many former New Haven cops are in Hamden, Campbell explained, because “Hamden understands that if you want the best officers, you have to have a competitive salary.”
For years, New Haven has had problems with cops leaving for other departments, which offer higher salaries and better benefits. (Read more about New Haven’s problems keeping cops here and here)
20+ Years Of Experience
Elvin Rivera.
When Rivera, 54, took his oath of duty, a number of the people in the room had been there from the very beginning of his 20+ year career, sometimes in the line of duty with him.
He and Campbell were in the same class of police academy. His wife, Elsa Berrios, also retired from the New Haven police force last year.
His brothers David and Luis are also former New Haven cops. Luis, who joined Hamden in 2015, was there to see his brother follow suit.
Rivera said that when he retired from New Haven, he knew he would continue his police career. He took a short break, then joined the Beacon Falls Police Department as a part-time officer, a job he will keep even as he takes a full-time job with Hamden.
He said he was excited to continue doing community policing similar to what he did in New Haven, which helped pioneer the practice.
From his career in New Haven, he said, he learned that the key to policing is to “honor the badge, honor the department, and honor the community.” Respect the community, he said, and you’ll get respect back.
Elsa Berrios.
In New Haven, his community policing practices took a number of forms: He brought food to families that could not afford it on Thanksgiving. He served coffee at a church. He read books to schoolchildren.
He predicted the transition to Hamden will be smooth because of its similarity to New Haven. It’s very diverse, he said, which is a draw for him.
He and Berrios both grew up in New Haven, and have known each other since childhood. Berrios joined the police before Rivera or either of his brothers. After 23 years of service, she said she’s content to remain in retirement. The job was exhausting, she said; she’s still trying to decompress.
Hamden Born And Raised
Jenna Davis.
Davis called joining the Hamden police force “ like coming home to me.” She was born in Hamden. She attended Helen Street School, Hamden Middle, and Hamden High, after which she went to Southern Connecticut State University. She recently bought a house in Hamden.
She said she was excited to work in a community she knows so well.
She also said that the Hamden police contract offers more stability. “Here, it’s very: this is what you’re getting, this is what you’re walking into,” she said.
Campbell, who will leave the New Haven police force at the end of the week, said he was sad to see Davis go. He first met her when she coached his kids’ swim classes. He would always ask her when she was going to join the force, he said, because he thought she would be a good cop. Eventually, she did.
Davis’ father, Robert, said he had mixed feelings about her going to Hamden. “New Haven is a great city,” he said; he taught high school there for 25 years. He said he was also happy for her, however, partly because of the security of the police contract. New Haven’s police contract is in arbitration, with some benefit cutbacks considered likely.
“Take The Next Step”
Brian Jackson.
Though he liked working in New Haven, Jackson said, moving to Hamden is a “good opportunity.” The town is similar to New Haven in many ways, and has a community policing approach, he observed.He was attracted to what he had heard about the department — good equipment, good leadership, and a good force.
“Everyone I talk to really enjoys working here,” he said, and “it’s time in my career to take the next step.”
On the New Haven police force, Jackson patrolled the Newhallville and East Rock neighborhoods. He said he got a lot of experience in New Haven, which he called a “busy city” for a police officer.
He grew up in Massachusetts, and moved to Connecticut after college for the job in New Haven. He now lives in Cheshire.
Cop Drain
All previously certified cops join the Hamden PD at its second-lowest salary level, currently $78,140.56. When the new police contract takes effect July 1, that number will bump up to $80,052.10. After three years, they will earn $87,316.04.
In New Haven, cops start at $44,400. The highest that officers can earn is still less than their starting salary in Hamden.
Hamden also offers a better benefits and pension package. The town recently switched to the state’s CMERS plan, while New Haven still maintains its own retirement plan, which, like Hamden’s old plan has been chronically underfunded.
In order to receive retirement benefits, all three of the new cops must serve 25 years in Hamden. Rivera, however, is already on New Haven’s pension plan, which required 20 years of service when he retired. If he stays on the Hamden police force for 25 years, he would be eligible for two simultaneous pensions.
In order for experience to transfer when cops switch to Hamden, said Acting Police Chief John Cappiello, they must have previously been on CMERS in another town.
Cappiello said that recently, Hamden has been hiring mostly previously certified officers. It’s better to hire experienced officers, he explained, because you can get them out on duty within three weeks, rather than having to wait ten months for the training. He added that the state has cut back on its police academy classes, meaning it’s harder for towns to train new officers.
“Unfortunately, because [hiring experienced officers] is so appealing, places like New Haven suffer,” he said. It’s hard for a city like New Haven, which pays much less than Hamden, to keep officers for the full 25 years because other towns are so much more attractive.
If he stays on the Hamden police force for 25 years, he would be eligible for two simultaneous pensions.
Given that Rivera is 54 now, he would have to work until age 79 to get a Hamden pension.
As for the others, were;t they required to contribute a substantial amount of their pay toward a pension they will now never receive? That's a plus for New haven.