Police Chief: New Contract = More Cops In Beaver Hills

Whalley-Edgewood-Beaver Hills neighbors should expect to see more police officers in their part of town next spring — thanks to what the police chief anticipates will be a surge in hiring due to a newly inked union contract.

Police Chief Karl Jacobson offered that message to 25 Beaver Hills residents Tuesday night at a special crime-focused town hall meeting hosted by newly elected Beaver Hills Alder Gary Hogan at the Whalley Avenue police substation. The meeting marked the second time in two months that Jacobson has come to Beaver Hills to talk with neighbors about everything from car thefts to speeding to the number of officers on the beat in District 10, which encompasses the neighborhood. 

Jacobson stressed during the meeting that the new police union contract, approved by the Board of Alders in November, should be a boon for retention, recruitment, and hiring of police officers in the Elm City. That means Beaver Hills in particular, and New Haven more broadly, should expect to see more cops on the streets. 

The contract ​“greatly affects your neighborhood,” Jacobson told the crowd on Tuesday. By March, the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) hopes to increase police presence in District 10 from two day-shift officers, two night-shift officers, and three B‑squad officers to three day, three night, and five B‑squad officers as part of a projected general staffing increase facilitated by higher pay.

“I truly believe within a year, a year and a half, we will be fully staffed,” Jacobson said. A fuller list of what the new contract entails can be found here. Jacobson also added that the new contract will prevent officers from being assigned overtime shifts when they choose to come in on days off.

In addition to Jacobson, the meeting was attended by neighborhood top cop Sgt. Jonathan Lambe, Lt. Derek Gardner, Hill Alder Evelyn Rodriguez, Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers, Board of Alders Majority Leader Richard Furlow, and Fair Haven Democratic ward co-chair Manuel Camacho, among others.

The seven major crime concerns on the table, Hogan said, were auto theft and break-ins; excessive speeding and reckless driving; the ​“Kia Boyz” hanging out the windows of stolen cars; holding parents accountable for the actions of juvenile offenders; distinguishing between fireworks and gunshots; trespassing; and package theft. 

So far this year, Beaver Hills has seen a decline in motor vehicle theft compared to last year, but more than double the number of ​“larceny from vehicle,” a category that includes car break-ins, Jacobson told the room. 

Crime in general is down citywide, Jacobson emphasized, though the Beaver Hills-specific stat sheet he handed out showed a slight increase in violent and property crimes, alongside a decrease in shots fired and ​“other crimes” — a category that includes vandalism, intimidation, and simple assault. He urged residents to report even minor crimes — a process that will, he said, be made easier by the online reporting system included in the new police contract. 

Chief Jacobson then took questions from Hogan and other attendees about a variety of issues ranging from speeding enforcement to package theft to possibly re-forming a neighborhood block watch. Incidents of so-called ​“porch piracy” are hard to track, Jacobson said, because they are not recorded separately from cases of ​“other larceny” — though he did float the idea of using drones to track package thieves.

David Ottenstein, sitting in the front row in a flannel shirt, asked about plans for better speeding enforcement. In response, Jacobson discussed red light cameras and traffic stops, while Furlow chimed in with a possible proposal to reduce speed limits citywide — and put in further traffic calming measures like those recently added to Valley Street. A discussion ensued about the efficacy of such measures, concluding with the need to gather more data.

Throughout the meeting, Jacobson pressed the concept of ​“accountability” — for cops and for criminals.

“We’re not looking to go back to more arrests,” he said, ​“but we are looking to go back to accountability,” which might look like more orders to detain juvenile repeat offenders of motor vehicle theft, for example.

Accountability also includes officers who don’t do their jobs, Jacobson added, noting that he’d put up nine officers for firing in the last two-and-a-half years. It means an emphasis on the ​“concept of community policing,” which, Jacobson promised, will be easier to execute with a more fully staffed police department. 

Hogan told the Independent he was ​“pleased” about the turnout and Jacobson’s responses. ​“I was elected on the public safety issue,” he said, and is optimistic that there is a ​“path to making change.”