Thomas Breen file photo
Officer Shumway (right), now a sergeant and heading back to patrol.
The police department’s spokesperson is moving up the ranks — and back out on patrol — as one of 11 newly promoted New Haven cops.
Those promotions took place Tuesday night during the latest regular monthly meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners, which was held online via Zoom and in person at police headquarters at 1 Union Ave.
The police commissioners unanimously signed off on promoting Sgts. David Guliuzza, Edward Dunford, and Pedro Colon to the rank of lieutenant.
They approved promoting Officers Christopher Lawrence, Robert Stratton, Scott Shumway, and Steven Travaglino to the rank of sergeant.
And they approved promoting Officers Frank Grillo, Vincent Deleo, Douglas Pearse, and Joseph Galvan to the rank of detective.
“It was an incredibly impressive group,” Police Commissioner Tracey Meares said during Tuesday’s meeting. “I really appreciated all of the interviewees’ commitment to the chief’s philosophy of promoting procedural fairness and neighborhood policing, and the ways in which that engenders trust in community members.”
She praised the newly promoted officers as “leaders, not just within the department but also among peers. … I walked away thinking that the future of the leadership of the department in New Haven was strong. It was really gratifying to participate in those interviews.”
Over the course of the meeting, each to-be-promoted cop briefly addressed the commission, providing an overview of their respective careers with the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) and an explanation of why they’re interested in their new higher-responsibility roles. The commissioners then took separate unanimous votes of support for each group of promoted officers based on rank.
Shumway, who is currently the city police department’s public information officer (PIO), was one of the four officers tapped to become sergeant. Police Chief Karl Jacobson told the Independent on Thursday that Shumway will be leaving his role as spokesperson and heading back to patrol. He said that NHPD Capt. Rose Dell will fill in for the next three to six months as the police department’s spokesperson until he appoints a new officer to take on the role fulltime.
During Tuesday’s police commission meeting, Shumway — who took over the job of spokesperson nearly two years ago — spoke highly of how that role has prepared him for a new supervisory position. “Just having that opportunity to work for the chief and the assistant chiefs, being able to see what they need for the department to run smoothly, has been an amazing, eye-opening opportunity,” he said.
Before becoming PIO, Shumway said, he worked as a beat cop in Newhallville — “the best neighborhood in the city.”
“While out there, I had the opportunity to serve the community more as a police officer and as a community member,” he said, referring to times when he started a little free library in the neighborhood and when he handed out books and read to public school students at Lincoln Bassett.
“My biggest passion is helping others,” Shumway concluded. “That’s community members and officers alike,” noting that he’s the co-coordinator of the department’s peer support program. “I think I’ve been able to have a well-rounded career where I can pass along valuable information to our other officers.”
Some of the other cops promoted Tuesday night included:
• Sgt.-to-Lt. Dave Guliuzza, a 19-year NHPD veteran who currently works as the morning shift commander.
• Sgt.-to-Lt. Pedro Colon, a 16-year NHPD veteran who was born in New Haven and has lived in the city more than two-and-a-half decades, and who has spent the past two years as a sergeant in the major crimes unit.
• Ofc.-to-Sgt. Christopher Lawrence, a 15-year NHPD veteran who has spent most of his career on patrol in the Hill.
Congratulations to all, especially Officer Shumway who was shot about 5 years ago while responding to a domestic violence call. Thank you for your service.
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