Before voting to recommend he keep his job for four more years, city lawmakers showered police Chief Dean Esserman with gratitude.
The outpouring of thanks came at a Monday night meeting the Board of Alders’ Aldermanic Affairs Committee.
As part of a new process this year — thanks to a revision to the city charter last year — alders have the power to approve or deny certain high-level mayoral appointees, including the police chief. Monday’s public hearing was part of that process.
The five-member committee voted unanimously and without discussion to recommend that Esserman (pictured) remain chief, as Mayor Toni Harp has requested. The matter now moves to the full Board of Alders for a final vote.
Also Monday night, the full Board of Alders voted unanimously to approve Matt Nemerson for economic development chief and Joe Clerkin for budget director. Both mayoral appointees had found the approval of the Aldermanic Affairs Committee last month.
Questions, Thank-Yous
Esserman earns an annual salary of $162,000. The city also contributes 15 percent of that sum annually into a retirement account for the chief, who does not receive a pension.
Alders grilled Esserman lightly before toasting his success Monday night. They asked Esserman about staffing levels in the department and efforts to recruit more New Haveners to become city cops. And they took turns offering effusive thanks for Esserman’s leadership and his department’s efforts to cut crime.
“Crime continues to go down in the city,” Esserman said at the outset of his testimony. When he was hired over two years ago, he said, his “marching orders” were to reduce crime and bring back community policing.
In 2011, the year he was hired, the city has 133 shootings and 34 murders, Esserman said. “It’s been cut in half. Crime is down in all categories.”
To bring back community policing, Esserman said, he’s been hiring cops, promoting supervisors, and re-instituting walking beats.
In the last two years, the department has hired 71 cops. Esserman said he hopes to fill two more police academy classes this year with 30 to 45 recruits each.
Because new cops need supervisors, Esserman said, he has been moving people up the ranks, and sending them to special “command college” training immediately upon promotion.
To increase walking beats, every rookie coming out of the academy is required to walk a beat for a year, Esserman said.
Fair Haven Heights Alder Rosa Santana (pictured with Alder Aaron Greenberg), chair of the committee, asked about redrawing the city’s policing districts. She noted that her neighborhood is part of one long policing district that stretches the length of New Haven’s eastern border.
Esserman said the department is planning to create more districts. The challenge will be to balance the need for more patrol cops with the need for more supervisors. He said patrol will always be the “number one priority,” that the supervisory ranks will always be underfilled.
Wooster Square’s Alder Greenberg asked about efforts to increase the number of New Haven cops who live in New Haven. Esserman said the answer is “aggressive recruiting.” He said the department is pursuing a number of new avenues to encourage New Haveners to start a career in law enforcement, including by sending police academy rookies out to recruit new rookies.
Esserman said he doesn’t know yet how many members of the next police academy class will be New Haveners. Candidates are subject to tests and checks that are in the hands of the state, not the city, he said.
Esserman also spoke about his efforts to improve the department’s Police Activities League, including doubling the size of PAL’s summer camp.
Edgewood Alder Evette Hamilton spoke up to “thank you personally for the hard work you have been doing and continue to do.”
“I’d like to thank you,” said Newhallville Alder Delphine Clyburn. “I thank God for all the work that you are doing.”
“Thank you for all that you have been doing on the east side,” said Bella Vista Alder Barbara Constantinople.
“I thank the Board of Alders and I’m proud to serve,” Chief Esserman said, before shaking each of the alders’ hands.
Also Monday night, the full Board of Alders voted unanimously to approve Matt Nemerson for economic development chief and Joe Clerkin for budget director. Both mayoral appointees had found the approval of the Aldermanic Affairs Committee last month.