Esserman On Leave; Campbell In Charge

New Haven’s police chief, at least for the next three weeks, will be Anthony Campbell, as Dean Esserman embarks on a three-week ​“sabbatical” in the wake of another instance of losing his temper in public.

Mayor Toni Harp announced Monday afternoon that she and Esserman ​“mutually agreed” that he should take the paid 15-working-day leave of absence, effective Tuesday.

Harp said in a statement released by her office that she concluded the chief needs the absence based on an ​“investigation” she conducted into a recent incident at Archie Moore’s bar and restaurant on Willow Street, in which Esserman allegedly berated the wait staff and caused diners to move away. (The management eventually decided to let those diners eat for free.)

The statement said Harp considers Esserman’s behavior ​“unbecoming a public official.” She had previously reprimanded Esserman after a similar incident at the Yale Bowl and warned him that further misbehavior would carry greater repercussions.

In his absence, Campbell will serve as acting chief. Campbell has been overseeing patrol as one of the department’s assistant chiefs. His public profile has been raised in recent months, and his at least temporary replacement of Esserman had been expected. (Read about Campbell’s background here.)

The earliest Esserman may return to the job is Aug. 16. The arrangement is believed to include conditions he must meet to do so. Harp declined to discuss the matter further, citing ​“the City’s policy and practice of honoring a presumption of confidentiality in personnel matters.”

Meanwhile, the police union — with an eye toward making Esserman’s leave more prolonged —Monday delivered this 23-page document to the mayor’s office listing what it called a record of misbehavior by Esserman.

Sgt. Rich Miller of the union’s executive board issued a statement expressing ​“disappointment” in the action and predicting it will lower morale in the department.

“The union is disappointed with the weak stance of Mayor Harp giving Chief Esserman what amounts to a 15-day paid vacation,” Sgt. Rich Miller, of the police union’s executive board, stated. ​“This is a slap in the face to the hard-working officers of the New Haven police who are the true faces of community policing.”

Following is an earlier version of this article:

Police Chief Facing Discipline

Mayor Toni Harp is planning to take action against Police Chief Dean Esserman in the wake of new complaints about his ​“temperament.”

Harp told the Independent Sunday that she plans to meet with aides Monday to discuss what action to take. She said options under consideration include having the chief go on ​“sabbatical.”

She said she is acting in light of new complaints that have come her way in past weeks about Esserman’s conduct within the department and with the public.

A trigger point was apparently a recent incident at Archie Moore’s bar and restaurant on Willow Street. Dining there on a Friday night, Esserman complained about the service he was receiving, allegedly berating the waitress at length and causing a ruckus.

“An alder came to speak to me about it,” Harp said Sunday. ​“I’ve Investigated it. I spoke to someone who was there.

“People asked to move. The restaurant did not charge [other patrons] for the meal because of what they had to undergo.”

Staffers at Archie Moore’s, including a witness to the events that night, declined to discuss the matter with the Independent.

Hill Alder David Reyes was among those bringing the incident to the mayor’s attention. He heard about it from a waiter who witnessed it, a friend of his.

The chief ​“is the face of the department. You have to be the leader. He has set the bar high for everyone in the department. That’s why I feel it’s important,” Reyes said Sunday. ​“He disrespected the people there. He belittled people.”

Esserman did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

“We are going to have to have some serious conversations about temperament,” Harp said in reference to Esserman.

She declined to say who will fill in as interim chief if Esserman indeed goes on leave. She said she expects that any move to fill a vacant assistant chief position will probably be on hold pending her dealings about the chief’s position.

Harp had reprimanded Esserman back in 2014 after he berated an elderly volunteer usher at the Yale Bowl and threatened to shut down a football game there because he wasn’t allowed free entry without a ticket. In a letter back then, Harp wrote, ​“I am … warning you that any such future occurrence will result in more severe consequences.”

Earlier this month, the police union voted 170 – 42 to express ​“no confidence” in the chief. While one faction of the department, cops from across the rank and file supported that vote.

Harp said she wanted to serve as a ​“peace broker” to work out the cops’ concerns in order to maintain the progress she has seen in the department’s policing of New Haven.

Since then she has continued to receive complaints from inside and outside the department. Meanwhile, a wave of top cops have left the department over the past year, and members of the Board of Alders have been vocal in criticizing the chief.

On Sunday, Harp noted that these complaints have arisen at a time when New Haven’s department has been earning recognition nationwide for its success with community policing. Crime has fallen steadily over the nearly five years Esserman has been chief. During that time neighborhood walking beats have been revived, and the city cops have partnered with state and federal law enforcement agencies on cutting-edge anti-violence efforts. Two weeks ago Esserman attended a four-hour group discussion in D.C. with President Obama about how to improve policing in American.

“We are doing things in New Haven that are so far ahead of other police departments,” Harp said Sunday. ​“I know that is because of his leadership. It has really moved our department ahead of almost every other department that I know of. In the state, certainly and perhaps America. He’s done a really excellent job.”

Police union President Craig Miller declined Sunday to suggest what action the city should take against the chief: ​“That’s above my pay grade.”

But he did say that if another cop had been involved in a similar pattern of repeated misbehavior, Esserman ​“would be asking you for your resignation or have you in front of the Board of Police Commissioners.”

“It’s the same actions happening all the time at different places,” Miller said. ​“How many of these are we going to have? Are we going to wait for the next one?”