Thomas MacMillan Photo.
Officer Pepe.
More than five weeks after he was laid off along with 15 other rookie cops, Michael Pepe was welcomed back to the police force Monday.
Pepe was laid off along with dozens of other city employees last month as part of belt-tightening measures enacted by Mayor John DeStefano. In a move designed to close a yawning gap in the current fiscal year’s budget, DeStefano laid off 82 city workers, including 16 cops. The action prompted a protest march on City Hall by hundreds of police officers on Feb 17.
Since that time, several of the laid-off officers have found new jobs in the police departments of neighboring towns. Pepe, however, just got his old job back, thanks to another cop’s failure to pass a physical fitness test. That cop was terminated, opening up a space for Pepe to come back, according to Chief Frank Limon.
Pepe’s return was made official at a Monday evening meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners, on the third floor of police headquarters at 1 Union Ave. The two-minute meeting included no discussion from commissioners, who unanimously approved Pepe’s return.
After shaking hands with commissioners after the meeting, Pepe said he is excited and happy. The 32-year-old, who lives in Hamden, said being laid off from the New Haven police department was “the worst thing in the world.”
Despite the fact that hundreds of angry cops marched on City Hall to protest his and other layoffs, Pepe said he has “no hard feelings” about what he’s been through.
Pepe said he had been looking elsewhere for a job as a police officer, unsuccessfully. Others have had more luck. In fact, Pepe was the fourth choice for an officer to be reinstated because the first three the department asked had found work in neighboring towns. Officers were chosen for reinstatement based on seniority.
Pepe’s new spot opened up earlier this month when another cop — a member of Pepe’s class at the academy — failed on his last chance to pass the Cooper physical fitness test, Chief Limon said. The cop had been given several extensions on passing the test, which is required of all cops coming out of the academy. He couldn’t pass, so he was terminated, Limon said.
Pepe will be back on patrol on the C squad Tuesday night, Limon said.