The President of the New Haven Police Union said that news that the city’s police chief, Dean Esserman, has been put on paid leave after another outburst is disheartening. This follows reports he allegedly berated a waitress at a local restaurant.
This is the second time Esserman has been reprimanded by the city's mayor for his conduct in public. In 2014, he reportedly berated a volunteer usher at a Yale football game.
Craig Miller, President of the New Haven police union, Elm City Local, said these incidents put a mark on police officers.
"You know, you’re in front of a chief that’s telling you that our character is supposed to be, you know, better standards than normal people in the community -- him acting out in this type of behavior is just very appalling to every officer," Miller said.
New Haven Mayor Toni Harp said in a statement earlier this week that she found Chief Esserman’s conduct unbecoming a public official. Harp said she and Esserman mutually agreed he would take a 15 working-day, paid leave.
Miller said it’s hard to know what the mayor’s plan is for Esserman’s future.
"It’s a leave-of-absence," he said. "I’m not sure whether it’s a discipline or not. I’m just wondering if the leave-of-absence is just time to get things together and figure out which way they’re going to move after the three weeks, or if they’re gonna ask him to resign, or terminate him."
Earlier this month New Haven police union members voted 170 to 42 that it had no confidence in Chief Esserman. Miller said morale in the department’s been low over the past year.
Esserman also received a no confidence vote in 2009 when he was chief of police in Providence, Rhode Island.
Esserman did not return WNPR’s request for comment.
New Haven’s police department’s has gained national attention for their community policing efforts and steady decline in crime under Esserman’s leadership. Esserman recently took part in a discussion in Washington, D.C. with President Barack Obama on how to improve relationships between police and communities.
