Markeshia Ricks Photo
New Detective Liz White with her husband Detective Carlos Conceícao and their daughter Aurora.
The New Haven Police Department has added four new detectives to its ranks.
At a ceremony held at City Hall Friday officers Daniel Conklin, Nicholas Katz, Ryan Macuirzynski, and Elizabeth White were sworn into the rank by Mayor Toni Harp as their friends and family looked on.
The 4 detectives taking the oath.
It was a proud moment for the new detectives as well as for their boss Assistant Chief Achilles “Archie” Generoso, who oversees the police department’s investigative bureau. Generoso said when he first came back to the department there were only 29 detectives. Now the bureau is 61 detectives strong. He credited Harp, the Board of Alders and the Board of Police Commissioners with helping to make that happen.
Generoso.
“I think it’s no accident that since we’ve doubled the number of detectives, we’ve cut crime in half,” he said Friday evening.
Lt. Herb Johnson presents Det. Ryan Macuirzynski with his badge.
Generoso said when he saw the names on the detective list he was excited. “Every name on that list is a quality person,” he said. “They’re four excellent officers and they’re going to make excellent detectives, and I can’t wait to get my hands on them Monday morning.”
That’s because on Monday, the four new detectives head to training created in collaboration with the police department and the University of New Haven.
New detectives strike their best Law & Order pose.
New Det. Elizabeth White, for one, said she’s looking forward to that training. Her husband, Carlos Conceícao, is currently a detective in the department as well. She joined the force in 2012.
“In patrol, you only get to see a case so far,” she said. “Being able to see a case all the way through was a passion even in patrol, so now being able to do it full time is really great.”
Macuirzynski with his girlfriend Nancy.
There were only four detective vacancies in the department. The four officers promoted Friday were the top scorers of the 16 who took and passed the detective exam. The rest of those who passed will be allowed to take part of the training, according to a press release.
“The NHPD has decided to train all prospective candidates together,” police spokesman Officer David Hartman stated in the release. “This will save time and expense as instructors will not be needed to repeat their instruction for smaller groups. Detective training includes crime scene management, interview and interrogation skills, search and seizure, case reporting and courtroom testimony, to name a few.”
Pending Suit
Conklin with his parents.
One of the new detectives has a pending federal lawsuit against him for allegedly violating the civil rights of an arrestee. (Read about that here, including his side of the story.) Interim Chief Anthony Campbell said that Conklin was cleared to be promoted because there is no pending or active internal affairs case in his file.
Katz with his wife Jennifer.
“We understand that police officers, just by the nature of their work, get sued,” he said. “We also did a personal interview of the sergeant on scene during the incident. We’re confident that it is OK to promote.”
Harp.
“All of us in New Haven rest easier knowing that all of you are on duty,” Harp told the new detectives. “The work you’ll start doing is an essential part of law enforcement and public safety.”