Under Chief, Abusive Behavior Unpunished

In Chief Dean Esserman’s police department, unchecked bullying has run downhill. Consider the case of Patricia Helliger.

Like Esserman, Helliger, currently a police captain, has an extensive history of alleged rudeness, disrespect and bullying toward members of the public and lower-ranking cops alike.

Like Esserman, she has escaped from those incidents with wrist-slaps at the most at a time when activists nationwide are calling for more accountability for police misconduct. Amid these complaints, Helliger won promotion to a top departmental post.

Now Esserman is struggling to keep his job as chief. He’s in the midst of a three-week forced paid leave in which he has been ordered to show he can gain control of his temper and vaguely described ​“personal problems” and regain the confidence of a deeply skeptical public and a force in open revolt. Meanwhile, he faces complaints like a new human rights complaint by an 18-year office staffer in the chief’s suite that Esserman repeatedly ​“bullied” and demeaned her and other women, reduced her to tears and ​“shaking” by yelling at her when she didn’t immediately hear an order to dial a phone number for him, and created a ​“reign of terror” in the office. (Sixteen witnesses signed on to that statement.)

One key question has emerged: Given Esserman’s record of abusing his cops and the public, can he credibly discipline cops who do the same if he returns to 1 Union Ave.?

He has repeatedly avoided disciplining Patricia Helliger, based on a review of her internal affairs and personnel files in response to a state Freedom of Information Act request.

An internal investigation found she confronted a citizen who dared to take her picture in a Walmart parking lot, slapped the phone out of his hand in contravention of a department general order on First Amendment rights, then lied about it when questioned by officers. One investigator suggested having her arrested. Instead, Chief Esserman — who at the time escaped from serious punishment for berating an elderly Yale Bowl usher and threatening to shut down a football game because he wasn’t allowed in for free — decided not to punish her. The police union president told Esserman that Helliger had just had a ​“bad day,” echoing the phrase Esserman himself used to seek to explain the Yale Bowl encounter.

An attorney for a Latino immigrant complained that Helliger refused to certify routine paperwork needed to apply for a visa for an abused child, while insulting the mother’s command of English and complaining about immigrants allegedly taking advantage of a visa program. It turns out other immigrant families — whom Helliger allegedly suggested were liars — were also stalled in obtaining the paperwork. Instead of disciplining Helliger, police brass transferred the duties to another official.

When Helliger allegedly ​“abus[ed] her authority as a friend” of a woman involved in a custody dispute, she escaped punishment.

The head of internal affairs lodged a complaint about Helliger’s alleged ​“pattern of both verbal and physical aggression with both her staff (sworn and civilian) and the public,” including yelling incidents that interfered with staff work. “[T]hese incidents have been documented and reported yet nothing has been done to address it,” wrote the complainant, Lt. Racheal Cain. She filed that complaint last November. Officials claim an open ​“investigation” into the matter continues. Meanwhile, Helliger was promoted to captain.

She did receive a one-day suspension once, for failing to respond one evening in 2012 to a scene where a cop shot a dog that was attacking a police canine. Helliger was the B squad shift commander. An internal investigation found that Helliger violated a general order requiring the supervisor on duty to respond to scenes where cops discharged weapons. Helliger wrote in a memo to Chief Esserman that she ​“should have responded to the scene…. I see that this incident certainly appears that I or the other supervisors are uncaring toward the welfare of the troops but for this supervisor and shift commander that is far from the truth.”

Helliger has defended her actions in past controversies and claimed that she was subjected to unfair treatment by the chief. In fact, she’s suing him and the city for allegedly limiting her opportunities at the police department. The suit (read it here) also accuses police brass of not taking action against racist acts by white cops directed at Helliger, an African-American woman. One department member, for instance, called her ​“Mrs. Butterworth” in a Facebook posting. (Read her complaint here.) The discrimination Helliger reported she has faced in-house, along with visible support she has received from African-American alders, raised the political stakes of any action Esserman might have taken against her. However, he has also failed to take action against other officers who have violated the spirit or text of rules protecting citizens’ First Amendment rights.

Helliger did not respond to requests for comment for this story. She had a lot to say internally when her fellow cops concluded she abused a member of the public, violated a general order, then fabricated her story in a dispute over a parking space.

Attention Walmart Parkers

The dispute occurred around 7 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2014, outside the Walmart on Route 80.

Off-duty at the time, Helliger, then a lieutenant, was driving her department cruiser. She pulled into the Walmart parking lot.

Chad and Bianca Grant, a brother and sister, were loading purchases into their car at the time. They each had a daughter with them. Their shopping cart occupied part of the space next to their car’s space. Helliger started to pull into that space.

According to the Grants, Helliger asked them to move the cart, and they agreed.

Here’s Bianca Grant’s version of what happened, according to a summary in the ensuing internal investigation’s file:

Lt. Helliger then began to inch her car into the space. Again, they told her that they were packing up the car and asked her why she was inching up the car? She was going to hit the cart with her car if she continued to pull into the space.

Lt. Helliger then identified herself as a police officer and said that when she asked them to do something, she expected them to do it. They told her that does not give her the right to inch into the space when they are trying to pack up the car. Again, Lt. Helliger said that she was a police officer, and she expected them to do what she asked. An argument ensued where all the parties involved cursed at each other. Lt. Helliger finished parking and left to go into the store. Bianca’s brother then said that he was going to take a picture of Lt. Helliger’s license plate because, if she is an officer, he wanted to call the cops and tell them what kind of officer she is.

As her brother took a picture of her license plate, Lt. Helliger left the store and walked towards them. She said, ​“You can take a picture of whatever the hell you want.” As she approached him closely, he turned around, with his feet planted firmly on the ground, and tried to take a picture of her face. She said the camera was less than a foot from Lt. Helliger’s face. Lt. Helliger then slapped his phone out of his hands and pushed him away. Her brother raised his hand to block her, and then Ms. Grant stepped between them and pushed Lt. Helliger twice. She repeatedly said, ​“Do not touch my fucking brother.”

Lt. Helliger raised her hands in a defensive posture and shouted back that they were not allowed to touch her. Ms. Grant said she was protecting her brother and although Lt. Helliger claimed to be an officer, she was not acting like one. Bianca said Lt. Helliger acted ridiculous and not as someone in authority should. Lt. Helliger returned to her car and called for back-up. They did not try to block or prevent Lt. Helliger from entering her car. They then left the parking space and saw officers stop another vehicle. Her brother rolled down his window and told the officers that they were probably looking for him. He was then handcuffed and placed in the back of a cruiser. 

One of the daughters and Chad Grant offered similar accounts to a police investigator the same story. The file includes this passage from the summary of the interview with Chad Grant: ​“As he turned around to take a picture of her, she slapped the phone out of his hand. The phone was around 2 – 3 feet from her face. He doesn’t remember whether he pushed back. He did not take a fighting stance or raise his hands with clenched fists (which is consistent with the video surveillance footage). His sister then got in her face and pushed the Lieutenant away.”

Helliger called for back-up. Several officers arrived. One directed traffic. Another interviewed witnesses.

An officer handcuffed Chad Grant, who insisted that ​“he did nothing wrong and that the video would show this. He said the Lieutenant came at him aggressively and tried to swat at him.”

Helliger told the officers that she had returned to her car because she had forgotten something. She said that ​“the male tried to take a picture of her. She asked him not to and reached towards him to stop him. She said that he pushed her, and a female also came at her,” according to a report by Officer David Parker.

Helliger told her side to several officers, including Sgt. Rose Turney. According to the file, Helliger said she had ​“opened her window and asked the male subject if he could move the carts.”

He then asked why. She identified herself as a police officer and said she needed to get into the store quickly. He took offense to the comment and said, ​“Fuck the police. You think you can do whatever you want.” She ignored the comments, because she wanted to avoid a confrontation. She was eventually able to park her car. She got out and entered the store. Once in the store, she remembered items she forgot in the car. She returned towards the car to retrieve those items.

The male individual was at the back of her car taking pictures with his cell phone. As she approached the car, he turned towards her and started to take pictures right up in her face. She became uncomfortable and unsure whether he was going to assault her. She pushed him back with two hands. His cell phone fell to the ground, and he took up a fighting stance with clenched fists. She believed he wanted to fight her. The females exited the car and confronted her. They yelled at her, and she put up her hands in a surrender type fashion.

They continued to make comments about why she wanted to fight their brother. She continued to say she didn’t want anymore problems and then was able to get back in her car. She radioed the dispatcher with a description of what had happened. The other subjects saw her on the radio, continued to put their groceries away and then left quickly.

Lt. Helliger never mentioned that she was assaulted or injured and Sgt. Turney observed no visible injuries.

Four officers ended up reviewing surveillance video footage inside Walmart.

Sgt. Turney was among them. In a subsequent internal affairs interview, Turney called ​“Lt. Helliger’s statement inconsistent from what she viewed in the video. The male subject did not walk up on her and put himself in her face to take a picture. He only slightly turned his body as if he heard something being said behind him. She then hit his hand holding the cell phone. Sgt. [Jason] Minardi asked Sgt. Turney based on this video, [whether] she would consider Lt. Helliger the aggressor in this incident, and Sgt. Turney responded, ​‘Yes.’”

Officer David Totino also reviewed the footage. He later told an internal affairs investigator that the video bore out Chad Grant’s version, not Helliger’s: ​“Lt. Helliger left Walmart and directly approached the male who is at the back of her car and either pushed or swatted at him. He then dropped an item on the ground and leaned over to pick it up. Officer Totino said the Lieutenant made ​‘a bee line’ towards the male subject and did not see the male subject approach her. … He said from what he observed in the video, the male subject was not aggressive at all.”

“The video clearly showed her swatting at him. He then bends down and may be picking up his phone. The two females then get out of his vehicle, and they have breach,” another officer present, Jason Bandy, later told an investigator.

In a subsequent interview with internal affairs, Helliger reported that three days after the incident, she discovered that her right arm had a bruise. She concluded that she had been injured during the Walmart confrontation. She repeated that the Grants were the aggressors, not she.

No Charges, No Discipline

Sgt. Rose Dell conducted the internal affairs investigation. After reviewing all the interviews and the video, Dell concluded that Helliger had misrepresented her actions and violated department rules:

In her taped statement, Lieutenant Helliger said she did not approach the male subject but passed by him in order to return to her vehicle. When she passed him, he placed his cell phone in her face. This statement is inconsistent with what is viewed in the video surveillance footage. Lieutenant Helliger left the store and briskly walked directly up to the male subject. His back was turned to her as she approached. As he turned towards her, he lifted the phone, and she slapped the phone from his hands.

Lieutenant Helliger violated General Order 311, Citizen’s Right to Video: It is the policy of the New Haven Department of Police Service to permit video recording of police activity as long as such recording does not interfere with ongoing police activity or jeopardize the safety of the general public or the police.

Lieutenant Helliger also violated Rule 15, Subsection 42:

No employee of the Department shall engage in any act which would constitute conduct unbecoming an officer.

Lieutenant Helliger is required as a police officer to treat all members of the public with respect and courtesy and create a positive impression when interacting with members of the public. During her first encounter with the Grants, she identified herself as a police officer.

General Order 311 presented a particular challenge for the chief. His officers have repeatedly violated citizens’ rights to record them in public, in some cases arresting them for doing so.

Earlier in 2014, the city paid two citizens $31,500 for violating their rights in those cases. As part of that settlement, the cops promised to train officers better in the general order.

But Chief Esserman decided not to discipline Helliger for violating the General Order (which has since been rewritten to make it more enforceable), or for any of her actions in the Walmart incident. When asked by the Independent, he declined to say why. Then-police union President Lou Cavaliere Jr., who attended the meeting with Esserman and Helliger about possible discipline, said the chief decided to call the incident a ​“misunderstanding,” given that Helliger’s account differed from those of other officers. Helliger argued that the police should have arrested the woman for allegedly assaulting her. Cavaliere said he advised Helliger to ​“apologize and say you ​‘had a bad day,’” since Esserman had just done that for his behavior at the Yale Bowl football game.

Two days after he cleared Helliger, Esserman escaped discipline with that explanation, beyond receiving a reprimand warning him not to repeat his actions.

Here is the full text of Sgt. Dell’s 22-page internal affairs report, including the full text of Helliger’s statement and those of officers and witnesses who contradicted her.

It ends with a memo recounting that she raised the question of referring the incident to the state’s attorney’s office for criminal prosecution. According to the memo, then-Assistant Chief Al Vazquez said not to.

Meanwhile, under Esserman, violations of citizens’ free speech rights have continued to go unpunished in the department — such as in the arrests of an immigrant-rights activist outside Goodfellas restaurant on State Street and of a woman video-recording an arrest outside the Beverage Boss on Whalley Avenue. Esserman either stayed mum or supported the actions of officers in those cases. He never publicly questioned the arrests.

A new report by a mayoral commission recommends that the police department ​“provide comprehensive training in First Amendment and protest rights” to officers and ​“consider writing a new [general order] regarding citizens’ right to free speech, assembly, and protest that outlines expectations of civilians and police in these situations.”

Immigrants Dubbed ​“Liars”

The Walmart incident was hardly the first or last time Esserman learned of, and let pass, alleged bullying and rudeness by Helliger.

Consider what happened to an immigrant mom whose 10-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted.

With the help of an attorney, beginning in February 2015, the mom tried to get a routine form signed by then-Lt. Helliger. At the time, as head of the records division, Helliger was the authorized official who needed to sign off on a form citizens need to file for U‑Visas (I‑918 supplement form B). The mom’s child was eligible for a visa as long as the form got signed showing the family had cooperated with police in the investigation.

In the first two months, the mom spoke with Helliger around ten times, she claimed. At one point, Helliger allegedly told her, ​“Look, there are lot of cases that happen here and there are a lot that lie.” After that Helliger would not respond to repeated calls asking to pick up a signed form, according to a civilian complaint the mom later filed against Helliger, charging ​“rudeness and neglect of duty.”

The attorney eventually got the form back. It was signed, but not fully filled out.

By that time the Clifford Beers Clinic had assigned a family advocate to try to help the mom get help with the police department. The advocate, Genesis Polanco, went to 1 Union Ave. on July 22 to ask to speak with Helliger.

According to a subsequent police internal affairs report, Helliger ​“refused to speak with them and she stated ​‘I don’t understand why there is so many people involved with this case, I’ve already spoken to the lawyer and there is no need for me to speak with you.’ Polanco explained that they wanted Lt. Helliger to come downstairs to get a copy of the form that needs to be completed. Lt. Helliger refused to come downstairs and asked for the form to be left at the front desk.”

On Aug. 5, according to the report, Polanco received a promise that the mom would receive the signed form once Helliger returned from vacation.

Helliger was allegedly back at work on Aug. 7. The mom showed up at 1 Union Ave. “[S]he tried to speak with Helliger on August 2015. Lt. Helliger refused to come downstairs and told her that if she didn’t know how to speak English properly to get an interpreter and that there was no need for her to speak with” the mom, according to the internal affairs report.

The mom’s attorney told her it would take only 15 minutes to fill out the report. But she had only six months since the incident to obtain one and still have her daughter qualify for the visa. That time was running out.

According to the internal affairs report, Assistant Chief Campbell met with the mom’s attorney: ​“Chief Campbell told [the] Attorney that the New Haven Police Department has not received the proper training with handling juvenile U‑Visa requests. He stated he is currently seeking training for the Department on this matter. Chief Campbell stated he advised Lt. Helliger to not sign the forms and that he would take care of it.” The matter was eventually ​“resolved,” according to the report, which was written by Sgt. Jason Weted.

(In order to protect the identities of the mother and the child involved in the U‑Visa case, we are not publishing the internal affairs report.)

It turned out that other immigrants were complaining of similar problems getting U‑Visa forms signed by Helliger.

At a ​“white shirt” (command staff) meeting, Helliger reported that ​“she was ​‘overwhelmed’ and that a lot of the U‑Visa applicants are just trying to use it as a way to circumvent the process,” according to a written account by Lt. Racheal Cain of internal affairs.

So Campbell and Esserman convened a meeting on Oct. 15 with top cops and community domestic violence and immigrant rights advocates. 

As a result of the meeting, the department transferred responsibility for handling U‑Visa forms to Helliger’s then-deputy in records, Lt. Darcia Siclari. New rules would guarantee applicants a response within 60 days and written explanations of any denials. In a Dec. 8 memo, Campbell reported that all the U‑Visa complainants ​“were more than satisfied with these changes.”

The memo made it clear that Helliger was not ​“disciplined” for her conduct in these cases.

“Lieutenant Patricia Helliger was removed from the U‑Visa program, not as a discipline, but as a means relieving her of the responsibility of the U‑Visa program, which clearly requires an enormous amount of focus and time,” Campbell wrote. ​“The amount of time that the program required was clearly interfering with the other primary responsibilities that Lieutenant Helliger has as the O.I.C. [Officer In Charge of] Records.”

Helliger no longer oversees the records division, where she instituted a program to cut the backlog of unserved warrants. Asked what her current assignment is, Acting Chief Anthony Campbell said Esserman made her ​“Deputy of Administration. Currently she oversees the animal shelter, the garage, property room … Her primary assignment right now is getting our fleet management system up to date, tracking department vehicles, getting the animal shelter into the 21st century and ensuring that staffing levels are brought up to speed. Additionally she is working with the unions at the animal shelter to get staffing levels improved.” (In the past, Helliger, , an immigrant from St. Martin, has run a program introducing immigrant police officers to New Haven schoolchildren. Read about that here and here. She continues to help organize an annual food, clothing, and toy giveaway program for children.)

Jennifer Rodriguez, the attorney for the mom in the child-assault case, said Tuesday that she eventually gave up on trying to get the police to sign off on the visa form. She went to the state’s attorney’s office and obtained the signature there, she said. Since Helliger was relieved of the visa-form duty, Rodriguez said, she has had success with other clients in getting the police to deal with the forms.

Rodriguez took exception to the claim that immigrants lie about being crime victims to obtain visas. Particularly in domestic violence cases, she said, ” ​“that’s one of the things they hold over them: ​‘I can get you deported.’”

Grab & Run

Another internal affairs investigation of Helliger centered on a child custody battle.

The complained stemmed from a Jan. 17, 2014 incident. The complainant was the uncle of the 10-year-old girl at the center of the custody. Helliger was friends with the child’s ​“biological great aunt,” according to the complaint. (Again, to protect the child’s identity, the text of the complaint is not being published here.)

The biological aunt had custody of the girl. The uncle had the girl with him the night of Jan. 17 when, he said, Helliger showed up at his house one night and took the child away.

The uncle ​“believed the situation was escalating so he attempted to take the child out of Helliger’s car…. Helliger wrapped her arms around him. He was able to break free from her hold and he began running to the house with the child. Helliger then grabbed [his] arm to restrain him. The child ran into the house and ran out of the back door where Helliger was now waiting. Helliger put the child into her car and drove off,” according to the internal affairs report, written by Lt. Rebecca Goddard.

The uncle’s wife gave a similar statement. Goddard contacted Helliger for her side. Helliger ​“confirmed there was a verbal altercation … involving the custody of the ten year old child” but ​“did not wish to provide further details due to the fact it was off-duty conduct,” Goddard wrote.

The outcome: ​“Lieutenant Helliger was advised not to contact either party. This case is closed due to mediation.

Raising Cain

One complaint against Helliger remains unresolved. The timing of its handling is a story in itself.

The complaint was issued not by a member of the public, but by a lower-ranking officer, internal affairs chief Lt. Cain.

Cain filed her complaint against Helliger on Nov. 18 with the city’s Department of Human Resources.

Cain complained that Helliger had created a ​“hostile” workforce by berating her and yelling at her in front of other people in a number of instances, and was making it difficult for her to do her job right.

In the first instance, Cain was serving as a administrative sergeant in the detective division. (She hadn’t yet become head of internal affairs.) She asked a detective why he hadn’t completed a photo board of suspects in a robbery; the detective said Helliger had ordered him not to include juveniles because the law forbids it. Cain said a department inspector told her the law in fact allows the inclusion of juveniles’ pictures in photo arrays. ​“When I brought this to Lt. Helliger’s attention, she became defensive and told me that she would not authorize the use of juvenile photos regardless of what the Inspector said,” Cain wrote in her complaint.

The next instance occurred when Cain was in charge of the Bureau of Identification. Her account:

I was tasked with retrieving photographic evidentiary that was taken by patrol officers. Although there was a written policy on how to maintain these photographs, often the policy was not followed resulting in photographs never being downloaded or the designated computer having access to the internet (unsecure).

As a result, Captain [Jeff] Hoffman (OIC of Patrol) and I proposed having the officers either print the photographs or burn them to CD and place them into evidence. This would alleviate the above mentioned issues and allow us to destroy the evidence in accordance with State Statute.

When we brought this recommendation to Lt. Helliger she became angry, yelling at us that she was not the OIC of the Property Room and it was not her job. Over the course of several meetings, in an attempt to resolve the issue, she continually berated me.

Ultimately, Assistant Chief [Al] Vazquez (then Lt.) became involved and after witnessing one of her rants, spoke with her supervisor who agreed the photos should be treated as evidence and be placed into the property room but, due to her unwillingness to cooperate with Captain Hoffman and I, the transition never occurred.

The next three alleged confrontations occurred while Cain has been serving as head of internal affairs.

In one, Cain wrote, Helliger yelled at her for not including her in the loop about an internal affairs decision involving another cop she had wanted to have disciplined.

The second involved the immigration U‑Visa case described earlier in this article. Cain wrote that at the ​“white shirt” command staff meeting, she had suggested a bureaucratic solution to the U‑Visa paperwork jam. ​“After the meeting was concluded, but while several people were still gathered, Lt. Helliger turned to me and started yelling, repeatedly, ​“This is not an IA issue.” I repeatedly told her that she was correct, it was not an IA issue, and that the only reason I was involved was because there was a complaint filed. She continued yelling and pointing her finger at me. Fearing the incident would escalate further, I told her that I did not want to argue with her and got up and left. And, although this was witnessed by her immediate supervisor, Assistant Chief Anthony Campbell, to my knowledge, her behavior was not addressed.”

The third incident involved a Freedom of Information Act request filed with records by New Haven Register reporter Esteban Hernandez. Hernandez sought copies of all civilian complaints filed against Chief Esserman.

Helliger forwarded that request to internal affairs, Cain wrote.

One day she came down to the first-floor IA office to ask about the status of the Hernandez request, according to Cain. When Helliger asked, Cain wrote:

I told her that I had already fulfilled the request. She became visibly angry and told me that she was the ​“Keeper of Records” and that I should have forwarded the information for her to disseminate. She continued to tell me that we only have 4 days to respond and she needed to maintain those records for 1 year.

I told her that I had maintained them but that I would make copies [of] all of the responses I had written and give them to her for her files. She continued to raise her voice and told me that I am supposed to give all of the documents to her because she was the Chief’s designee.

I explained to her that when I took over as OIC I was not sure how the FOIAs were handled therefore, I contacted Kathleen Foster from Corporation Council and asked who is responsible for the IA records. Attorney Foster told me that I am the keeper of IA records and that in the past her office would make any needed redactions. Lt. Helliger said, ​“no one else ever asked before.”

I tried to tell her that I called Corporation Council to make sure I was doing my job correctly, but she continued to speak over me in a hostile tone, telling me that I was wrong and that she is tired of me ​“disrespecting” her. I tried to tell her that I did not disrespect her and that she can have copies of my responses to the FOIAs I complete in the Internal Affairs division.

Lt. Helliger continued yelling at me and said several times that I had disrespected her, that she was tired of it and would not tolerate it. I noticed that several citizens who were standing in the lobby were now turned around, looking toward my office, watching us. At that time, I told Lt. Helliger I did not want to argue with her and asked her to leave. She continued to yell and said that she is not arguing with me. I again asked her to leave but she yelled, ​“you can’t kick me out.” I said, ​“Patty, it’s my office, please leave” at which time she left and slammed the door behind her, again causing everyone in the lobby to focus on her.

When I began walking back to my desk, I noticed that all of my staff which included Deb Sullo, Sergeant Rose Dell and Intern Frank Olive, were all staring at me with a shocked look on their face. One of my employees asked, ​“what was that?”

I believe Lt. Helliger’s aggression and hostility has escalated in each of our interactions and feared it would continue to do so therefore, I reported this last incident to my immediate supervisor, Assistant Chief L. Casanova. He ordered that I, and all of the staff who witnessed the incident, submit memos detailing what occurred. In my memo, I asked that her behavior be addressed because, again, I fear her hostility toward me will grow and a physical confrontation will occur.

One week after submitting my memo, I attended the regularly scheduled Board of Police Commissioners meeting in which I give the Internal Affairs report. Although there was nothing on the Agenda pertaining to Lt. Helliger, eleven Aldermen attended the meeting to show ​“support” for her. I found this to be a form of bullying and intimidation for reporting what I believed to be a hostile work environment to my supervisor. I also found it to be very concerning that eleven appointed City officials would take a stand when none of them were privy to the facts of the case. I can only interpret this to mean that, if there is an investigation, regardless of what is found these appointed City officials will back Lt. Helliger and no action will be taken to correct her behavior.

I also fear, that based on their position of power within the City, I will be retaliated against and relieved of my position or overlooked for other positions within the Department. Lt. Helliger has shown a pattern of both verbal and physical aggression with both her staff (sworn and civilian) and the public. Yet, although these incidents have been documented and reported yet nothing has been done to address it.

This latest incident, and the Alderman’s response, has caused me a great deal of anxiety and am hesitant to perform my required duties when it involves Lt. Helliger. I am asking for relief from her continued intimidating and hostile behavior.

At the time of the filing of Cain’s complaint, Helliger was under consideration for her promotion to captain. She had influential people — numerous city alders — showing up at the Board of Police Commissioners to complain that her promotion was being unfairly delayed.

More then eight months later, according to the head of human resources, the matter remains under investigation.

And Dean Esserman officially remains chief of the New Haven police department.