Former Police Chief Dean Esserman is out in New Haven.
Former Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman has resigned as Chief of Police in New Haven, Connecticut.
"He has resigned, the Mayor just made the announcement this afternoon," Laurence Grotheer, the Communications Director for New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, confirmed with GoLocal on Tuesday. The resignation was effective Friday, September 2.
Esserman, who got a no-confidence vote by the New Haven Police Union in July, was under scrutiny Harp after reports he publicly berated a waitress, and had been on administrative leave.
Esserman’s Downward Spiral: A Timeline of Controversies Over the Years
On August 17, GoLocal wrote the following recap of Esserman as he faced mounting pressure in New Haven.
Former Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman - who resigned in 2011 after hosting a graduation party for his high school daughter where GoLocalProv was first to report drinking and pot smoking occurred - finds himself in serious professional trouble as Police Chief in New Haven, Connecticut, after a series of events which recently culminated in Esserman announcing a “sick leave” on Tuesday.
The move comes after Esserman was just recently placed on administrative leave, after reports in past weeks that he publicly berated a local waitress - and he received a vote of no-confidence from the New Haven police union.
The following statement was released by Harp's office Tuesday afternoon.
Mayor Toni N. Harp announced today that by mutual agreement, Chief of Police Dean Esserman has resigned his position, effective September 2nd. Mayor Harp and Chief Esserman agree this decision follows a process in which the best interests of New Haven remained first and foremost.
“Crime and violence have steadily and consistently decreased in New Haven throughout the nearly five years of Chief Esserman’s tenure and I’m grateful for the chief’s successful legacy,” Mayor Harp said. “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.”
“Weekly, data-driven review and analysis of police activity is combined with an expanded use of technology to make New Haven a safer community – trust continues to grow between police officers and the communities they serve,” Mayor Harp added. “Residents and visitors feel safer and in fact are safer as a result.”
“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,’” Chief Esserman said. “Last and certainly not least, it has been my privilege to serve the wonderful people of New Haven – I am so very grateful for having had this opportunity to do so.”
“I am confident in the future of the New Haven Police Department because of the excellent leadership, command staff, supervisors, detectives, and patrol officers who serve; day and night they earn the respect and gratitude of those who live in and visit New Haven,” Chief Esserman added.
Mayor Harp said Assistant Chief Anthony Campbell will continue to serve as Interim Chief of Police.
Related Slideshow: Esserman Controversies Over the Years
Below are just some of the controversies (certainly not all) that at the center, former Providence Police Chief, now New Haven Chief Dean Esserman, has been involved.
Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman is on the outs with Mayor Angel Taveras after an incident over the weekend. Is the “best police chief in America” about to be unemployed? Last Friday, Esserman got into a verbal altercation with a subordinate officer in Bristol.
Pressure is mounting for Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman to leave amid accusations of previous misconduct. Esserman was suspended for one day by Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare after shouting at a sergeant the previous Friday for coughing during remarks Esserman made at a training event. Sources tell GoLocalProv that the incident, far from being an isolated case, is typical for Esserman.
Police Chief Dean Esserman is staying on under Mayor Angel Taveras. The announcement was made Tuesday at a City Hall press conference where Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare unveiled his findings after a four-month review of the Police Department. Pare praised Esserman for reforming a department that had been plagued with politics, implementing community policing, and bringing $25 million in federal funds to the city.
Providence Police Chief Col. Dean Esserman no longer has a contract with the city, but he has retained the majority of perks that came with his original agreement, GoLocalProv has learned. His base salary will remain $168,000, which doesn’t include a longevity bonus for having worked in the city for more than seven years. Last year, his $11,757 bonus plus additional end-of-year payments made the Chief the highest paid employee in the city at $194,715.63.
Providence Police Chief Col. Dean Esserman stood on his front lawn and watched underage drinkers—carrying beer cans and cases of beer—leave his East Side home late Friday evening following a graduation party.
Over the course of two hours, GoLocalProv viewed dozens of young people partying on Esserman’s property (which was decorated with balloons on the front lawn) and on the street near the home—a possible violation of the state’s “social host” law.
Shortly after 11:00 pm, young people were watched fleeing the party, some in vehicles and many on foot. At that point, Chief Esserman, dressed in citizen attire, appeared on the front lawn and watched as droves of young people scrambled to jump in cars or walk away from the party.
One group of at least eight males was viewed carrying a case of beer down the street as they talked about what had just occurred. They did not appear to be happy with having to leave the party. Their conversation suggested an argument took place between the boys and the Police Chief.
“I don’t care who he is,” a member of the group was overheard saying. “I know who you are. You’re the Chief of Police.”
As Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman waits to see if the city and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare will take action following a weekend party that included underage drinking at his East Side home, members of the Providence City Council are divided as to where they stand on the story—and some are calling for more questions to be answered.
Reaction to the departure of [Providence] Police Chief Dean Esserman yesterday ranged from relief to regret as city officials reflected on the tenure of a chief brought in to clean up a corrupt department—but ended up leaving a trail of new controversy in his wake. The latest flap was over an underage drinking party at his home, first reported by GoLocalProv. After the report, Esserman made the rounds of media interviews, defending his actions in the incident and giving every indication that he wasn’t about to go anywhere—even as the Public Safety Commissioner said he was conducting an investigation of his own.
GoLocalProv has closely covered Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman over the course of the past year since its launch. We have traced his involvement in a number of questions about spending in the department to a string of scandals and controversies, culminating in the underage drinking party at his house—a story that GoLocalProv broke. Esserman yesterday said the controversy surrounding the story became such a distraction that he felt he needed to resign.
The Cape Verdean man who was seen on video being beaten with a flashlight by a Providence Police Officer claims he was "unlawfully arrested, harassed, assaulted, battered, humiliated and maliciously prosecuted,” in civil suit filed against more than a dozen defendants, including the city of Providence, former Police Chief Dean Esserman and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
Dean Esserman, former Providence Police Chief and present New Haven Police Chief, threatened to “shut down the whole (Army-Yale football) game” after an usher had asked Esserman for a ticket and a supervisor had refused to “remove” the usher from the Yale Bowl. Esserman was forced to resign as the Police Chief of Providence after GoLocalProv investigation uncovered that he had allowed his high school aged daughter and more than 100 friends have a drug and alcohol party at his home under his supervision.
Former Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman was voted to move forward with a no-confidence vote by the New Haven Police Union this month, where he has been Chief since 2011.
According to the New Haven Register, Juliemar Ortiz reported:
Union President Craig C. Miller said officers have issues with the way Esserman runs the department, citing his alleged bad temper and intimidation.
Former Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman is taking a leave of absence as Police Chief in New Haven. Esserman, who got a no-confidence vote by the New Haven Police Union earlier in July, was under scrutiny by New Haven Mayor Toni Harp after reports he publicly berated a waitress in town over the weekend.
Dean Esserman’s downward spiral continues. The Police Chief in New Haven is now going out on “sick leave” and it seems unlikely that the former Providence Police Chief, and now New Haven Police Chief will ever return to his post.
