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The department has historically not represented the demographics of the city.
Hannah qu
Contributing journalist
Hannah Qu, collaborating photographer
Faced with a shortage of officers, the New Haven Police Department has taken steps to meet its goal of recruiting more local residents into the force, including going door-to-door in the Hill neighborhood of New Haven. .
On Thursday afternoon, Mayor Justin Elicker, NHPD officers and community leaders gathered outside Hill Police Station and launched a neighborhood-wide recruiting drive to alert residents that the applications for officers of the the NHPD are currently open and will close on Friday. Elicker and NHPD Acting Chief Renee Dominguez stressed the importance of recruiting more people from the local community.
“It’s so essential for us to get the words out to the community. Elicker said at a press conference before the canvassing. “We are not only there to have as many candidates as possible, but above all [to] get New Haven residents to apply. I think it makes us a better city, a better police force and we can do our job better. “
The department sworn in 317 officers out of the 406 positions budgeted this year, Dominguez said. Sergeant Paul Finch told the News the NHPD is currently down to 100 officers. The department is looking for 1000 additional candidates for this application period.
Rose Dell, a police officer who has worked at the NHPD for 14 years, told the News that anti-police sentiment has increased the difficulty of recruiting. Some locals argue that NHPD officers do not properly represent city residents, in part because many of them do not come from the neighborhoods they serve. During a workshop in February Organized by the public safety committee of the Alders board of directors, Ward 30 Alder Honda Smith said Elm City’s lack of representation in the force “is sad.”
Boise Kimber, a pastor from New Haven, agreed.
“Do we just want to put everyone in jail, or do we want to have relationships?” Kimber said at the meeting in February. “One of the biggest problems we face is that new agents don’t know the community.
Speaking at the press conference, Dominguez said right now was “the best time to be a New Haven police officer.”
“We are the best police service to join,” she said. “Right now we need qualified candidates and we want people in the community who are able to give back to the community, who are able to make it a better place. “
In 2016, a Report of the Mayor’s Police and Community Task Force Regarding Recruitment for the New Haven Police Department concluded that the NHPD does not reflect the demographics of the city of New Haven. Over the past 10 years, minority representation on the NHPD has increased from 46% to 39%. Of the 22 highest ranked NHPD members, only three are people of color.
At a meeting of the Council of Police Commissioners in August, Dominguez set a goal to hire and promote more black, Hispanic and female officers. US Census Bureau data shows that the Hill neighborhood has an ethnic makeup of 32.6% Black or African American, 31.2% Hispanic or Latino, and 29.5% White residents.
Ward 6 alder Carmen Rodriguez told The News that she believes this solicitation would better inform people in the community who want to apply to join the NHPD, but who are unfamiliar with the specific procedures.
“I’ve been interested in applying to join the NHPD from high school, and I want to work in the community and help people,” Juancarlos Lopez, a potential candidate, told News. “In fact, I went to the police station to ask if they were hiring before I saw the application come out. I think the NHPD does a good job, but there are a lot of crazy things going on these days, shootings and neighborhood fights, for example.
New Haven has seen an upsurge in gun violence since the start of the year, with 22 homicides and 264 shots confirmed so far. Rodriguez told the News that police are taking extra shifts to answer calls and protect citizens. Some people, however, fear paying the police for overtime.
“I would say that no matter how many cops we have, there will always be a problem with the shootings. Lopez said.
The canvassing team was divided into six groups for the hill walk. Officers Jason Rentkowicz and Rose Dell walked down Rosette Street, Devitt Street and Button Street. They placed recruiting flyers on people’s cars and in mailboxes, rang the doorbell and asked pedestrians if they were or knew anyone who would be interested in applying to be a police officer. They also distributed plastic police badges to young children.
In addition to solicitation, the NHPD requires that qualified applicants reside within 20 miles of New Haven after graduation from the Academy, and that New Haven residents have an additional 10 points added to their grades. final passage. These measures are aimed at increasing community representation within the force, according to the NHPD brochure.
Dell told the News that in addition to the regular community recruiting walks, the NHPD is also recruiting people from gyms and that current police officers are sharing their experiences on social media to encourage more people to apply.
Some people who spoke to the News did not directly express their intention to apply, but agreed to pass the messages on to family and friends.
The NHPD membership application must be submitted by October 15th.
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