Chief DeCarlo To Retire

Branford Police Chief John C. DeCarlo, whose innovations have made the Branford department a leader in policing in the state, expects to retire this July to become a full-time associate professor at the University of New Haven, he said in an interview. Last week the Board of Police Commissioners took the first steps to find his replacement from among the top three police administrators in the department. 

The search process was announced at a time of transition within the police commission. Over the last four months, the board has dealt with the death of two members, the appointment of two more and last week the election of a new chairman and a new clerk. 

Jon Grossman, a longtime commissioner and former chair, was elected the new chairman of the six-member commission. He replaces the late Jo-Anne McGuigan, the former chair, who died last month after a long illness. The vote to elect a new chair was 5 – 0 and included one new member, Kurt Schwanfelder, who replaced Robert Denhardt, Jr., who died last December. The Board of Selectmen last week appointed Rich Goodwin to take McGuigan’s spot. He will join the commission at its next meeting. He did not participate in the vote. Commissioner Jill Marcus was elected the board’s clerk. 

DeCarlo, 58, who earned his doctorate in criminology at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice in New York while serving as chief, has accepted a position as associate professor at the University of New Haven, beginning this fall. He currently teaches part-time in the university’s criminal justice school. He became a full-time Branford police officer 33 years ago, rising through the ranks to become deputy chief in 2002 and chief in 2007. He has always been a student of criminal justice, and he loves to teach.

During his tenure he transitioned Branford’s force from a traditional department that reacts to crime to a community driven, problem-oriented policing style, teaching administrators and officers how to view crime, traffic and other issues through a data-driven lens. He has succeeded in getting the community to help solve crimes. He managed to lower the crime rate by 4 percent and the motor vehicle collision rate by 50 percent in his first six months in office.

He started succession planning and advanced management training when he became chief. He sent his staff to school as often as possible. He has been open to finding new ways to solve community problems; for example, he instituted local citizen groups to help the police pinpoint specific summertime problems at several seashore communities. 

Whether DeCarlo leaves July 1 as planned or not depends on whether some pension details are finalized by that time. ​“I would like it to be in July but I am not in the position to be able to announce the date at this point because the mechanics of the pension are under review,” he said.
 
In past administrations, the deputy chief has typically succeeded the chief after the Board of Police Commissioners conducted interviews and chose the candidate. But under DeCarlo’s succession plan, the process is now open to the deputy chief and two captains appointed to their positions last year. DeCarlo said last year the deputy chief’s job will be eliminated because he believes it is ​“redundant” and bureaucratic.

Last August the two new captains, Geoffrey Morgan and Kevin Halloran were sworn in at a formal ceremony at the Blackstone Memorial Library, the first time in 25 years that the department promoted two captains. Capt. Morgan now oversees patrol and operations. Capt. Halloran oversees administration, budget, planning and scheduling. The plan was for them to switch after a year so that they can learn each other’s jobs.

Deputy Chief Tom Fowler currently oversees the administration of the department. Fowler, Morgan and Halloran hold masters degrees; Halloran is starting work on his doctorate at the University of New Haven. Fowler also teaches criminal justice at Charter Oak State College, an online accredited college. 

At the police commission meeting last week, Commissioner Anthony LaSala announced the qualifications for the police chief’s position. According to the minutes of the meeting, he said candidates had to be members of the Branford Police Department and had to have attained the rank of captain or higher.

This means that Fowler, the current deputy chief, and Captains Morgan and Halloran will compete for the chief’s job. But they will do so under new conditions.

One of the new conditions requires outside testing in addition to a police commission interview. In the past, selection of the police chief was based on the candidate’s qualifications and interview with the commission.

At the request of DeCarlo, the police commission will ask the South Central Criminal Justice Administration (SCCJA) to administer two tests, one oral and one written to all the candidates. The SCCJA will also guide the police commission by providing best practices and policy overviews to help the board in their interviews of candidates. This will insure a more objective process. The written exam will count 20 percent, the oral exam 20 percent and the police commission interview 60 percent.

DeCarlo told the Eagle that all the candidates are ​“capable people. They are all scholars in policing, they are all very community oriented, and they have worked very closely and successfully with me. They have all gone to the most advanced policing schools. I am proud of these guys. We have some of the best people coming up the ladder because of the succession plan we put in place four years ago. They have really absorbed the paradigm.“

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