Hamden Chief Wins Permanent Appointment; Promised Process Short-Circuited

The Hamden Legislative Council appointed Acting Police Chief John Sullivan as the permanent new chief of police Monday night, overriding a selection process that Mayor Curt Leng promised would involve community input and a commitment to considering diverse candidates.

Sullivan has served as acting chief since July 1, when former Chief John Cappiello retired. He won permanent appointment by a 10 – 4 vote at Monday night’s meeting, which was held online.

Leng admitted that the process through which Sullivan was selected was imperfect. He said nonetheless he believes that Sullivan was the perfect man for the job.

“The performance of Acting Chief Sullivan, starting in his role as deputy and certainly excelling in his service as acting chief, made it difficult to imagine a better fit for Hamden at this time, at this place, with our goals before us at this time and our town’s history,” Leng said at the meeting.

Community Input? Transparency?

Leng said it was his intention to re-engage the ​“Police Chief Community Input and Transparency Committee” to select the next chief. This committee was formed after public outcry when Capiello was named acting chief of police in 2018. While the committee spent weeks listening to community member feedback on hopes for the next police chief and eventually selecting the top three candidates for police chief, its work was cut short.

“In the meantime, Hamden faced a series of significant and sometimes horrifying situations and challenges in both legal and personnel challenges which demanded an experienced and steady hand on the wheel — and someone who was here and understood what occurred in the midst of these extreme challenges,” Leng said.

A Hamden cop opened fire on Paul Witherspoon and Stacey Washington, who are Black, in New Haven on April 16, 2019. (The officer was subsequently arrested for the shooting.)

Given these events, Capiello was appointed as the formal police chief with a contract, overriding the work of the committee and the community input. Since the committee did not reconvene to replace Capiello, Sullivan’s appointment also was not founded on the work of the committee.

Critics of the appointment Monday night did not disagree with Leng that Sullivan is qualified. They said they were dismayed by the process of his appointment and the fact that no other candidates were considered.

“I cannot in good conscience vote ​‘yes’ on this appointment when we have not made a full-hearted or transparent and competitive search for a chief of police,” said Representative-at-Large Dominique Baez (D). ​“I think everyone understands that competition is important when we want to find the cream of the crop. Chief Sullivan here may very well be our cream of the crop, but I believe Hamden is worth competing over.”

Public Support

Despite these concerns, of the 102 public comments submitted to the council, the vast majority shared support for Sullivan’s appointment. The supporters included Quinnipiac University Vice President and Chief of Staff Bethany Zemba.

“I have worked with Chief Sullivan as a member of the Quinnipiac/Hamden off campus housing task force for the past several months,” Zemba wrote in her public comment. ​“He has proved to be a great partner – and initiated additional cooperation between the Hamden police, community members and our students. He has been very helpful in our current covid environment where we imposed stricter limitations on our students for size gatherings.”

Other supporters of Sullivan noted that even though he will not bring diversity to the police force, he has the qualifications to make Hamden safer. (Sullivan is white.)

“The reason was not because of color, race, but because of his police record qualifications point to John Sullivan for Hamden Police chief,” wrote Hamden resident Cheryl Thomas in a public comment. ​“Right now is not the time for national searches. Our town is one of the least safe towns.”

Crime Spikes

Concerns about crime rates in Hamden overshadowed the discussion about Sullivan’s qualifications. Many public comments indicated fear about the safety of living in Hamden.

Across the country, 2020 has meant a marked increase in homicides and other violent crimes. Data from crime analyst Jeff Asher found that murder was up 35 percent as of the start of December in a sample of 51 cities, as compared to the same cities in 2019.

In a Nov. 9 Hamden Police Department press release, Capt. Ronald Smith noted a 44 percent increase in motor vehicle theft from this time last year.

“Within the past 2 weeks, there have been 34 reported motor vehicle thefts in Hamden,” Smith stated.

District 3 Representative Athena Gary (D) asked Sullivan what he will do if crime continues to go up.

“Hopefully the crime does not increase,” Sullivan said. ​“If it does increase, I have a command staff that will have to come together and come up with some new ideas, but the safety of the members of this community is of the utmost importance to us.”

District 2

District 2 was not represented at the meeting last night. It has had no representative since incumbent Harry Gagliardi died in November. Baez expressed concerns about selecting a new chief when one district will not have a say.

“We are looking to choose and vote for one of the most important positions in our town of Hamden, but at the same time we are doing that without equal representation from the second district,” Baez said. ​“And as a councilperson at large I think I would be remiss not to mention that.”

A letter to the council from multiple Democratic organizations in town also disagreed with the decision to vote without input from every district.

“Disparities are being exacerbated by approving this contract without representation from the second district, a district in Southern Hamden,” the letter read. ​“The second district is all too familiar with racial disparities in policing.”

Text Of Democrats’ Letter

Following is the full text of the Democratic letter opposing the appointment:

Good evening members of the Legislative Council,

The Hamden Police Chief Community Input & Transparency Committee was established to seek recommendations from the community in hiring a new police chief. This process was not followed through. Many members of the community expressed specifically that diversity be considered in appointing a new police chief. The employment agreement that was referenced in the Mayor’s memo to the council was not provided to the council or the public. Council members don’t know what they are voting on without reading an employment agreement. The employment agreement for John Sullivan may not have a term. In an agreement without a term, the Chief of Police cannot be dismissed without cause per state law. John Sullivan is almost 50 and police officers age out at 65 years of age. This would be 15 years of not prioritizing diversity.

This Legislative Council declared racism a public health crisis on July 20, 2020. Racial disparities have long pervaded every step of the criminal justice process, from police stops, searches, arrests, shootings and other uses of force to charging decisions, wrongful convictions, and sentences. These disparities have a long history in policing. White supremacy was central to the founding of the United States, sanctified in law and practice. It was the driving ideology behind the European colonization of North America, the subjugation of Native Americans, and the enslavement of kidnapped Africans and their descendants. Policing in the early American colonies was often less about crime control than maintaining the racial social order, ensuring a stable labor force, and protecting the property interests of the white privileged class. Slave patrols were among the first public policing organizations formed in the American colonies. Hamden must renew its efforts to adequately address racial disparities by searching for a chief of police who is black.

Disparities are being exacerbated by approving this contract without representation from the second district, a district in Southern Hamden. The second district is all too familiar with racial disparities in policing. Harry Gagliardi was fond of saying, ​“Vote your district.” The vote for a new police chief should not move forward until the entire council, including the second district, has the ability to vote on this important matter.

The Legislative Council must consider the following prior to voting:
• The Legislative Council and public have time to review the employment agreement between the Town of Hamden and John Sullivan. Governor Lamont’s executive order requires 24 hours notice.
• The employment agreement must have a term of no longer than 3 years with an option to renew.
• The council must table this confirmation until the second district has representation on the Legislative Council.

Given that the Legislative Council has declared racism a public health crisis, the next obvious step should include prioritizing diversity in hiring a police chief who can work to eliminate bias in policing.

Best wishes in the new year,

The Hamden Democratic Town Committee, Chair Sean Grace
Ella’s Fund, Chair Karimah Mickens-Webber
Hamden Action Now, Founder Rhonda Caldwell
Hamden Progressive Action Network, Co-founder Jennifer Pope
The Black Caucus of Hamden, Connecticut, members Tracy Bowens, Roxana Walker-Canton and David Asbery
Hamden Human Rights and Relations Commission, Chair Sean Cardwell
HDTC Issues Committee, Co-chairs Lauren Garrett and Alexa Panayotakis and member Diane Hoffman