New
Haven police chief resigns after two public outbursts where he
berated a waitress and threatened to shut down a football game
• Police
chief, Dean Esserman, visited the White House twice in the past year
• He
resigned after launching a tirade against waiting staff at a restaurant
• Esserman's
outburst was so severe it caused other diners to move tables
• He
threatened to cancel a Yale football game during his tenure as chief
By SIMON HOLMES FOR MAILONLINE
A Connecticut police chief who
was invited to the White House twice in the past year to discuss law
enforcement issues has resigned after being disciplined twice for berating people
in public.
New Haven Mayor Toni Harp
announced Tuesday that Police Chief Dean Esserman resigned by 'mutual
agreement' effective September 2. She also praised him for the city's declining
crime and violence.
'I'm grateful for the chief's
successful legacy,' Harp said in a statement.
'Public safety in New Haven is
improved after a return to grass roots community policing, productive
partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, and positive interaction with
community organizations.'
Esserman has apologized in the
past for public outbursts but it seems the last straw was a July confrontation
with a member of staff at Archie Moore’s bar and restaurant in New Haven.
Harp investigated the matter
after a witness said the chief's yelling prompted other diners to be asked to
move further away from his table.
Esserman is said have been
infuriated by poor service at the restaurant.
He faced a packed room at police
headquarters Tuesday afternoon, speaking briefly about his time as chief and
the dedication of officers in the city.
He said it was 'very important'
that he give those in attendance the 'respect they deserve,' and to let them
know in person that he was moving on.
'It has been a privilege to serve
Mayor Harp and work alongside the remarkable men and women of the New Haven
Department of Police Service, who no doubt have earned the title, 'New Haven's
Finest,'' Esserman said.
'Last and certainly not least, it
has been my privilege to serve the wonderful people of New Haven.'
Esserman agreed in July to go on
three weeks of paid leave and then went on temporary sick leave amid the latest
allegations from the local restaurant.
This is not the first time the
police chief has been caught up in controversy. Two years ago, Harp reprimanded
Esserman for his angry confrontation with a Yale Bowl usher.
When he was police chief in
Providence, Rhode Island, in 2011, Esserman was suspended without pay for one
day for what media reports said was a threat to throw coffee in the face of a
sergeant who was coughing during a speech by Esserman.
Officers in both New Haven and
Providence voted no confidence in Esserman, accusing him of publicly berating
officers, intimidation, favoritism and retaliation, among other things.
Esserman, a Dartmouth College
graduate who never served as a rank-and-file officer, is a protege of New York
City Police Commissioner William Bratton, former chief of the Los Angeles
police and former Boston police commissioner.
He previously served as an
assistant prosecutor in Brooklyn, New York, assistant police chief in New Haven
from 1991 to 1993, police chief for the Metro-North Railroad and police chief
in Stamford, Connecticut.
He became New Haven chief in 2011.
Esserman was among 30 law
enforcement officials, civil rights activists and other people invited to a
White House discussion in July on improving police-community relations. He also
attended a White House discussion on reducing incarceration across the country
in October.
Assistant Chief Anthony Campbell
will continue to serve as Interim police chief in New Haven.
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