nothin Newhallville, Dwight Get New Top Cops | New Haven Independent

Newhallville, Dwight Get New Top Cops

Thomas Breen photo

Lt. Dana Smith: Now the top cop for East Rock/Newhallvillle.

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Newly minted Dwight/Beaver Hills top cop Lt. Ryan Przybylski.

Newhallville, East Rock and Cedar Hill have a new neighborhood top cop — Lt. Dana Smith, who has stepped into the district manager role as Lt. Manmeet Colon moves over to Internal Affairs.

And a little further west in Dwight and Beaver Hills, Lt. Ryan Przybylski has risen to the role of district manager, replacing recently promoted Capt. John Healy.

Both of those assignments were announced at recent community management team meetings.

Smith, Colon, and Interim Police Chief Rene Dominguez announced Smith’s new role Monday evening during the latest online monthly meeting of the East Rock Community Management Team.

Dominguez, who preceded Colon as District 7’s district manager, promised neighbors that the transition between the much-loved Colon and the newly promoted Smith would be seamless.

I know changing district managers is stressful but we need [Colon] in Internal Affairs,” Dominguez told the roughly 30 people who attended the Zoom-assisted meeting. She’s been great with the community.” And is great with the officers as well.”

Allan Appel file photo

Lt. Colon, with Newhallville resident Briella Adantor, in 2019.

Colon said her transfer was effective as of Sunday. She is the new officer in charge of Internal Affairs.

In the run-up to that changing of the guard, she has shared all her East Rock/Newhallville contact info for the area alders and community leaders with Smith.

I was nervous,” Colon recalled when she took over from Dominguez, but I’m more than confident Lt. Smith will be a great fit here.”

If Smith was nervous, he didn’t reveal it.

I’m parked,” Smith said, Zooming in from his cruiser and introducing himself. He said he’s been on the force for nine years and his most recent assignment has been heading up the department’s background and recruitment division.

During his interview with city police commissioners before he was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant earlier this year, Smith said the most important quality in an officer is honesty. Honesty and truthfulness, he said at the time, are at the heart of officer accountability and integrity.

It would also help, he added during that police commission interview, if officers had to be at least 25 years old before joining the police force, as those qualities come with maturity. The current minimum age for city police officers is 21.

I’m looking forward to being back out there,” Smith said about taking on the role of district manager.

Dirt Bikes/ATVs On Closed East Rock Street

City of New Haven

Police District 7.

He and Colon immediately got to work Monday when David Shimchick, who leads the Friends of East Rock Park, asked if the police have a plan to deter the dirt bike and ATV intruders on Farnam Drive, which, since the early months of the pandemic, has been closed to vehicles.

It’s awesome to have the roads closed,” said Shimchick, but now we have this problem that’s emerged as a safety hazard for residents.”

Last year, Colon replied, the police department addressed that same problem by deploying additional officers to the area for a few weeks. Long term, she said, there might need to be a non-additional-personnel solution.

I’ll talk to Lt. Smith,” she said, to make sure the resources we had last year can be duplicated as we come up with a [more] sustainable solution.” 

That might consist of a roadway re-design, so that an officer doesn’t have to be at the potential entry points at all times, she added.

Shimchick was satisfied with the response. I know it’s not an easy solution, but just wanted it on the radar.”

In response to long-time queries from the East Rock neighbors, Colon also reported on monthly traffic accident and enforcement stats for vehicles in the district. That report, to be augmented by stats on pedestrian accidents as well, will become a regular feature of Lt. Smith’s presentations to the team in the months and years to come, she added.

I will definitely miss District 7,” Colon concluded, but we will make sure [Lt. Smith] will succeed.”

The new chair of the management team, Elena Grewal, thanked Colon on behalf of residents for all her solid work and added, We are looking forward to working with you, Lt. Smith.”

Lt. Przybylski Takes Over As Dwight/Beaver Hills Top Cop

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Newly minted Dwight/Beaver Hills top cop Lt. Ryan Przybylski.

Smith isn’t the only newly promoted lieutenant to take on a new role as neighborhood district manager.

Earlier this month during the latest regular meeting of the Dwight Community Management Team, newly minted Lt. Ryan Przybylski took over the role as top cop for District 4’s Dwight and District 10’s Beaver Hills from newly promoted Capt. John Healy.

Przybylski is a 13-year city police veteran who has spent a decade on the city’s SWAT team and most recently worked in the major crimes division of the detective bureau.

Healy thanked the Dwight neighbors present for supporting him during his four-and-a-half years as the neighborhood’s top cop. He also said they’ll be in good hands with Przybylski, who said he’s felt supported in the job so far.

I just want to say I look forward to working with everybody and moving ahead,” Przybylski said at that meeting.

City of New Haven

Police District 4.

Police District 10.

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