Markeshia Ricks Photo
Lt. Minardi.
At the beginning of the new year, a new officer will be the top cop in the Hill section of the city.
After 20 years as a New Haven police officer, the last four of those years spent as the district manager for the Hill, Lt. Jason Minardi attended what is likely his last community management team meeting Tuesday.
He made the announcement that he is retiring to a joint meeting of the Hill South and North management teams during his regular report on crime. He noted that major crime in nearly all categories is down in the Hill though there has been an increase in car break-ins. That kind of crime spiked in the summer and is on the rise with the commencement of the holiday shopping season, he said.
He reminded Hill neighbors Tuesday that car break-ins are a crime of opportunity.
“Don’t leave your valuables in the car,” he said. “And lock your doors.”
He reminded them that they are the city’s best defense against crime because nobody is in their neighborhoods more than they are — not even the cops.
“You are the best eyes and ears,” he said. “We’ve been able to do a lot of investigations and collect information because of your cooperation. We’ve gotten more guns off the street because of you guys.”
Minardi is among the 30 to 50 cops eligible to retire in the coming months. The department has 495 positions. Only 403 of those positions are currently filled, according to Chief Anthony Campbell. That number includes 28 cadets at the training academy, who can’t patrol streets until the end of June. It also includes people out on administrative leave. The city is grappling with how to retain police officers who are being poached by other police departments and a shrinking bench of seasoned officers. (Read about that here and here.)
While Minardi didn’t have any information on who might take his place, he encouraged neighbors to keep collaborating with the police.
Hill resident Leslie Radcliffe stood up Tuesday to let Minardi know that he’s been “wonderful” to work with and his efforts as district manager had born fruit in the neighborhood.
“I’ve enjoyed working with you,” she said. “The next person will have big shoes to fill.”
Fellow Hill resident Thomasina Shaw echoed those sentiments, noting that Minardi has always been accessible to her and willing to listen to her fuss.
Minardi said after the meeting that he looks forward to spending time with his family and giving a little more attention to things at home. He said he has no plans to head to another police department, which a number of officers who have recently retired have chosen to do.
“Policing is a very noble profession,” he said, “but I’d like to try something different.”
Like so many that have retired and will be retiring, NHPD is losing experienced officers like Lt. Minardi. Minardi managed to climb the ranks without being a "yes man" to people like Chief Esserman. He served the city with professionalism and dedication even when he got his knuckle bit off by a combative arrestee (talk about leaving a piece of you behind, lol). The south is calling you...come on down.