Allan Appel Photo
Rosa (left) and Dell (right) with CMT stalwart Marge Wiener.
All that’s changing is … a vowel.
Asst. Police Chief Renee Dominguez used that touch of linguistic humor as she tried to allay concerns among neighbors in the west side of town as they lose a beloved top cop.
That cop, Lt. Rose Dell, has moved from the position of Westville /West Hills/ Amity/ West Rock/ Beverly Hills district manager to become officer in charge of the police department’s records division, property room, body camera program, and animal shelter.
Her successor is former midnight shift patrol manager Lt. Elliot Rosa — whose last name is almost the same as Dell’s first name except for the final letter, Asst. Chief Dominguez quipped as she introduced him Wednesday night to 30 neighbors gathered in the Mauro-Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School cafeteria at the regular meeting of the Westville/West Hills/Beverly Hills Community Management Team.
Westville Alder Adam Marchand and others take in the transition news.
“There’s a lot of [personnel] juggling” among the department’s higher ranks, said Dominguez, herself a former Westville/West Hills/Beverly Hills district manager. That’s because the department has been short-staffed, unable to fill out its ranks until a new academy class graduates and is field-trained in mid-2020.
One audience member asked if neighbors should expect the recent spate of retirements to continue —and Rosa to leave suddenly himself.
“Lt. Rosa is not looking to retire. At least we don’t think so,” Dominguez replied. “We hope he’ll be here for a couple of years.’
She did noted that district manager ” is not a forever position. It’s a way to promote our officers.”
Dominguez described Rosa, an academy classmate, as an energetic, personable, hands-on officer who will be a “great fit” for Westville/West Hills.
Dominguez surrounded by departing and arrving district managers.
In brief self-introductory remarks, Rosa said he’s a married man with three kids. He lives nearby in Orange and has 18 years on the force.
Rosa spoke of implementing a “bully-proof” program in local schools. He teaches martial arts, which he can see teaching to kids as part of the program to reach them when they’re young.
Dominguez with CMT Co-Chair Josh Van Hoesen.
Activist Dennis Serfilippi asked how Rosa and the department intend to cope with the double whammy of a rise in property crime in Westville and the perennial short-staffing of officers.
“You’re 80 officers short,” Serfilippi said to Dominguez. “People are being held up at gunpoint. How is crime going to go down without more officers?”
Dominguez conceded that the specialized resources of the department, like the Detective Bureau staff, go most often to areas where there are more calls to respond to violent crime.
“I just think you should level with the people in this room,” Serfilippi continued to challenge Dominguez, “that nothing’s going to change.”
“That’s not right,” Dominguez countered. “There are ways to tackle these problems with less resources.”
Then the conversation shifted to whether initiatives undertaken by Dell will continue under Rosa. “Rosa has ideas, but it’s not taking away things that work,” Dominguez responded.
“I’m more personable than tech-savvy,” Rosa said. He waited until people had taken out their pens, pencils, or phones, then slowly gave out his cell phone number.
He also reminded Westvillians that he had brought with him a box of 50 Dunkin Donuts “munchkins,” chocolate, glazed, and jelly, which he’d left on the table by the door when he entered.