New Haven’s police chief is moving on with no regrets — and with his soul intact.
Otoniel Reyes delivered that message during a radio interview and then during a department Compstat meeting Thursday, one day before he departs his position of chief to become Quinnipiac University’s security director. Assistant Chief Renee Dominguez moves into the role of interim chief beginning Saturday.
Reyes urged his fellow cops to hold onto their humanity at an historically challenging time for the profession.
“I am blessed,” Reyes said during the interview with Babz Rawls-Ivy on WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk.” (Watch the full interview in the video above.)
“I’m the kid that was born and raised in Church Street South. I got the chance to be the chief in this city. I got to be a cop in this city on a walking beat to help people. I feel proud of my career. But more importantly, I feel proud and humbled that I got to do it,” said Reyes, 49, who is in his 22nd year as a city cop. He was a social worker at a facility for homeless people with addiction before he joined the force.
Rawls-Ivy asked him about his assessment of the challenges facing cops after a year of nationwide protests put policing under a microscope.
“We can’t lose our humanity,” Reyes said. “We get so wrapped up in issues, if we’re not careful we lose our humanity.
“I tell cops all the time: Our families are constantly worried about our losing our lives. We’re so focused on that. Be much more concerned about losing your soul on this job than losing your life.
“If you’re not careful, that’s exactly what will happen. You’re dealing with extremes all the time. You’re dealing with negatives. You’re dealing with people in their most difficult moments. It is a job that, if you’re not careful, will strip you of your soul.
“To that extent, I’ve been very successful. Not because I became a chief. Because I walked out of here still believing in people, still believing in their humanity.”
Moving forward, Reyes argued that society needs to tackle the broader problems, the unsolved challenges, that get left at the feet of police.
“We’re an extension of government. We are a microcosm of the wrongs of our society,” he said. “When you look at the Jim Crow era — the cops were putting on the handcuffs. But who [passed] the laws? These were politicians at the highest level. The police were enforcing that. Was that wrong? Absolutely. We lost our way.” He called on police and the community to pursue “fundamental change” with that broader view in mind, and without defensiveness or “preconceived notions.”
Thomas Breen Photo
Chief Reyes and other top cops at a Black Lives Matter protest last summer, pledging police accountability.
Ninety minutes later, a host of cops took turns paying tribute to Reyes and thanked him for opportunities he gave them at his final appearance as chief at the department’s biweekly Compstat data-sharing meeting.
Mayor Justin Elicker popped in to the virtual meeting to add his own praise for Reyes’ hard work and “direct, uncompromising values and dedication.” “We have all learned from you,” Elicker said. “You are so incredibly reliable.”
Reyes spoke at the conclusion of the meeting about how he made a decision to leave the job so he can have more time to spend with his 12-year-old son.
“I have no regrets as a cop,” Reyes said. “I don’t want to have any regrets as a dad.”
And he repeated his advice to his colleagues: To “lead with love” and “never hurt anybody.”
“Don’t lose your love for humanity,” he urged the officers present. “Don’t get wrapped up in the nonsense … Remember why you do this job. We do it to serve. We do it better than anybody. …
“We weathered the worst year in our recent history. We weathered that. We’re still strong. We still have the relationships with the community. We’ve got to dust it off. We have to put down our egos. It’s not about us. Let’s keep working together. …
“I still have my soul. I still care about people.”
I truly enjoyed this conversation. We come from the same place, and we think about the world and the community very simliarily. We really should've had this conversation over at the Owl Shop with cigars and good ass bourbon! Perhaps we will when the world opens up again!
I think he was right about what is needed in a chief for this City. I think the next Chief will face challenges that will either move forward in furthering community policing or re-imagining policing in communities.
I wish him well in this next chapter of his life. QU is getting an extraordinarily talented person in Chief Reyes.