Paul Bass Photo
Officer Yelena Borisova and Sgt. Paul Finch at WNHH FM.
Police Sgt. Paul Finch and Officer Yelena Borisova are looking for you. But don’t worry — you’re not in trouble.
If you care about serving your city, they want you to apply to become a New Haven cop.
Finch oversees the team in charge of recruiting new officers. Borisova investigates applicants’ background to make sure they pass muster to serve on the force, and joins Finch at community events to talk up the job with promising potential officers.
The pair made their pitch as well Thursday on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” as the team is engaged in a new cycle of encouraging people to apply for the force in time for upcoming testing in preparation for a new training academy class.
Like departments nationwide, New Haven has struggled to fill its ranks in recent years: Eighty-three of the force’s 410 budgeted positions are currently open. Meanwhile, the number of applications the department receives has dropped around 90 percent in recent years, Finch estimated. It has had success in gradually increasing the number of citydwellers, women, and Black and Hispanic officers in its ranks.
Officers’ annual salaries start at $50,745, climbing to $78,050 after two years. Suburbs pay more; New Haven offers more opportunities for officers interested in pursuing specialized work amid an official commitment to community policing.
New Haven Police Department - Recruiting 2023 from A2V Media on Vimeo.
The department has also released the above video to encourage people to apply.
Click here to apply to the force. Click on the above fvideo to watch the full conversation on “Dateline New Haven” with Sgt. Paul Finch and Officer Yelena Borisova, including details about how the recruitment and vetting and training process works, and a story of how while on the beat Finch helped defuse a domestic argument by encouraging a couple to exchange their Valentine’s Day gifts.