Thomas Breen Photo
Chief Reyes.
Connecticut had a chance to lead on changing policing in this moment of national debate, but instead rushed to pass a law “motivated by hate and anger” without input of some of the people it will affect.
So stated New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Reyes about the police accountability bill passed early Wednesday by the State Senate.
Reyes issued the following statement about the bill, which is now before Gov. Ned Lamont for his signature:
have been wrestling with a myriad of emotions over the passage of the Police Reform Bill. Mostly, I am frustrated and I am disappointed. Frustrated because we as a nation had a real opportunity following the horrific death of George Floyd at the hands of Officer Chauvin; an opportunity to use that tragic and dark moment in our history to galvanize our communities and our police departments.
I say that because something groundbreaking happened after the death of George Floyd, something that I had not seen in my lifetime, and certainly not in over two decades of being a police officer. After the death of George Floyd, people across our nation and the world, people of every race, culture, socioeconomic status, and political affiliation, all stood up in solidarity to condemn what occurred in Minnesota and against police brutality.
What was even more notable, was that among the voices of condemnation were numerous police officers and police leaders across the U.S. that very publicly and emphatically condemned the actions of Officer Chauvin.
Here in New Haven, we took it a step further by standing in front of our police department and sending a resounding message to the world that we did not condone police brutality.
I’m frustrated and disappointed because here in Connecticut, we had an opportunity to lead the way, to be a beacon of hope, to make significant and meaningful changes to the culture of law enforcement while strengthening community-police relations. I am frustrated, not because of the content of the bill, but more so at the undercurrent of divisiveness and the spirit of negativity that led to its passing.
The passing of this bill was done in haste; it was driven and motivated by hate and anger, and it served to drive a wedge between communities and police. I am disappointed at the lack of leadership by some of our elected officials that made decisions largely based on political pressure and misguided emotions, instead of courage and conviction.
The elected officials that were a driving force behind this bill, particularly those that represent the New Haven community, crafted this bill without input from me as the Chief of Police in New Haven. They were in such a rush to pass legislation, that they gave little to no consideration to the negative impact it could have on good police officers that have placed, and continue to place their lives on the line in honorable service to their communities every single day.
The New Haven Police Department has always been at the forefront of positive police reform. We will continue to work on building trust with our community. We will continue to hold ourselves accountable and to maintain the highest standards of professionalism. We are also committed to working hand-in-hand with our community and our community leaders for positive and meaningful change. We must do so together, with a message of hope and a message of unity.
As the great Dr. Martin Luther King stated, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only the light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”