Paul Bass Photo
Officer Scott waits Friday to ferry Harp to a press event.
The Harp administration has revived a practice discontinued 20 years ago by her predecessor: Having a full-time cop or two assigned to drive around the mayor.
The police department has posted two openings for the position; officers have until Tuesday to apply. “About a dozen” have applied so far, reported Lt. Joe Witkowski, who’s overseeing the process
The tentative plan is to have two officers assigned full-time to the job, he said. But major details remain to be worked out in conjunction with the police union. Those details include what hours to cover, and how to limit overtime costs.
In the meantime, Officer Eric Scott (pictured Friday) has assumed the role on a tentative basis, assuming the wheel of the city-owned silver mayoral Prius.
Both Mayors Biagio DiLieto and John Daniels had at least one officer assigned full-time to serve as drivers. Mayor John DeStefano discontinued the practice upon taking office in 1994. He usually drove himself around. On longer trips, such as to Hartford or out of state, he generally asked a mayoral staffer to drive him so he could do work. When no one was available, he would get a police driver as a last resort; that happened about 10 times a year. He would also have a driver ferry him to airports.
“It was recommended very strongly by the chief of police” that she have a police driver, Harp said Friday.
Chief Dean Esserman confirmed that the driver was his idea.
“The New Haven police feel it’s our responsibility to provide the security for the mayor. I raised it in a conversation with her. I was very happy she accepted the offer,” Esserman said.
“We need to take safety and security seriously.”
Police union President Lou Cavaliere Jr. declared himself “kind of torn on this one.”
“It’s almost like a Catch-22,” Cavaliere (pictured at a mayoral debate his union sponsored in July) said Friday. “Obviously we want the mayor to be safe. I believe she is. She has a lot of allies in this city. A lot of people supported her. We feel that she should have a driver.
“But right now it’s kind of tough; we’re short-staffed. We don’t have enough cops as it is. We’re taking two officers off the street. …
“Obviously times have changed. There are dangers around every corner. You can never tell when something’s going to happen. I feel if we were fully staffed, then hey I would be a little more welcome to it.”
Cavaliere said the union will not oppose the decision. “We had it before,” so there’s no basis for a grievance, he said. In future discussions with department brass about details of the arrangement, including how to ensure clear lines of authority. For instance, what would happen if Harp’s driver, an officer, pulls up somewhere with the mayor and tries to tell a higher-ranking officer to move his or her car to make way?
Allan Appel contributed reporting.