Fair Haven To Chief: Where Are The Cops?

Cecilia Proto doesn’t know who or where the cops protecting her neighborhood are.

“They’re sending over cops who are 21. They’re kids. They don’t know us. They don’t know our community,” said Proto, who has lived in Fair Haven Heights for 40 years. ​“We used to have cops who were here for 40 years. How are you going to get back the trust of the people? Because right now you’re not there.”

Proto posed that question to new Police Chief Karl Jacobson Wednesday night at the second of three ​“town hall” meetings he’s holding to hear from residents. The meeting took place at Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration on Blatchley Avenue. 

Resident after resident told Jacobson that they are excited for his administration and his creative ideas to protect the city, while simultaneously deeply concerned about policing in the city today. 

Some recounted personal stories of stepping into dangerous situations because there were no cops to be found. Some mentioned broken trust following the paralysis of Randy Cox in police custody. Others argued that staffing shortages and low-intro salaries discourage New Haveners from joining the force, and expressed frustration over cops not getting to know the communities they’re sworn to protect. 

“I want to come here and hear from all of you because I know things need to change. We need to foster an even better culture on the force. We need to get cops back on the streets walking around and meeting the community. We need to rebuild the trust and fully staff the force,” said Jacobson. 

For Proto, staffing is the largest issue. The force currently has 90 unfilled spots. The department is working to increase recruitment, including through outreach walks in Newhallville, Dixwell, and Fair Haven, in advance of an Aug. 1 application deadline. 

According to Jacobson, the city is also looking at creating incentives including a $10,000 moving and downpayment inducement for officers to transfer to NHPD. 

Jacobson and Mayor Justin Elicker also plan next week to take the physical examination required to become a cop in order to highlight the accessibility of joining the force for New Haveners. 

“That’s all great, and I’ve heard this all before,” said Proto. ​“But, people just don’t want to join the force. They think cops are the enemy. They think being a cop is a terrible job. So what are you going to do to change that?” 

“Conversations like this,” Jacobson said. ​“We need to show our community and our cops that being a cop is a good thing. It starts with leadership and people like me going out and walking beats with officers and encouraging them to get to know people. If cops see their leaders, they’re going to tell other people to come to New Haven and tell them it’s a good place to work, where the community and leaders listen to them.

“We also need all of you to tell people that New Haven is a good place to work, because the people that the community sends to us are golden.” 

Yasmin Ramadan said she actually took up NHPD’s call and applied to be a cop last August but didn’t make it through the oral interview stage of the application.

She’s not reapplying. Instead, she’s going to work at another department that has offered her better pay and opportunities than in New Haven,” she said.

“The starting pay in New Haven is one of the lowest compared to many other forces in the area,” said Ramadan.

Ramadan’s comment sparked a heated moment between Elicker and firefighters union President Patrick Cannon. 

“The salary is atrocious. It’s lower than surrounding towns a lot of the time, and it’s a big push for recruitment. Instead of offering transfers bonuses,” Cannon said. ​“Why don’t you use that money to incentivize New Haveners to join the force? Why doesn’t the police contract reflect better pay and conditions? People don’t want to come and work here or even come to this event in New Haven because they don’t think that their leaders are listening or care.”

He pointed to a campaign promise Elicker made to negotiate contracts with city employees before their contracts expired. The police union contract expired on June 30, and the process for negotiations began only a few days ago when the city sent over its opening message to the union’s lawyers.

“This process should have started a long time ago, or at least before the contract ran out,” said police union President Florencio Cotto.

Elicker told the Indy after the event that the Covid-19 pandemic caused bottlenecks in the negotiation process.

After the event, Elicker texted the Indy information on starting salaries showing that New Haven salary is comparable to many other cities in Connecticut, starting at $45,900. Stamford pays close to $48,000, while Hartford and Bridgeport pay $200 and $1,000 less than New Haven, respectively.

Fair Haven Sarah Miller pressed the chief on when Grand Avenue will get a walking beat. The chief committed to having a walking beat by October.

“We’re going to fill 10 of the 90 open spots right now within the next month, because they were out for injuries or other reasons, and we’re working hard to fill all 90 spots,” said Jacobson.

Jacobson said he hopes to fill all 90 spots by next March or April.

In the meanwhile, Jacobson is looking to restart neighborhood block watches in New Haven and beef up the Police Activity League.