New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Reyes to be swornin as chief Monday
NEW HAVEN — Chief Otoniel Reyes will be officially swornin as the fulltime leader of the
New Haven Police Department during a ceremony Monday.
But, as Assistant Chief Herb Sharp put it Thursday, there’s never been any doubt about Reyes’ role among his colleagues on the force.
“His title was interim chief. He has always been our chief. And the day that (the Board of Alders) named him, he has always been our chief,” said Sharp, who noted news of Reyes’ approval earlier this week by the Board of Alders at Thursday’s Compstat meeting. “Congratulations and I’m proud to be a part of your team.”
After acknowledging a standing ovation from those in attendance, Reyes thanked his fellow members of the department and community residents.
“It’s not about me. This is about this department. It’s about every single person in this room; it’s about every single person in this city,” said Reyes. “We have an opportunity in the city to change the narrative, to change the direction, certainly of communitypolice relations.”
Reyes noted he was at the Q House ceremony Wednesday afternoon — an investment in the community that bolsters residents — drawing parallels with the future of the department.
“You don’t change the community through enforcement — you change it through investment. And that’s what that Q House represents — when you give back to the community, it’s something where it’s making that community more vital,” said Reyes. “That’s what we represent. That’s the opportunity we have.”
“Being a chief is just an opportunity for me to work alongside all these great leaders, not just on the inner perimeter here, but on the outer perimeter. Every single one of you are partners to make this city better,” said Reyes. “I’m humbled by (the appointment). I will work every day to be worthy of representing every single person in this room.”
Reyes already has faced an incident that is among the toughest for departments: the shooting of an officer. Capt. Anthony Duff, the department’s spokesman, was shot Aug. 12 while offduty and coming upon to what turned out to be a deadly shooting. Duff was shot three times by a perpetrator who remains at large, but has since been released from the hospital.
Reyes’ swearingin will be held at 3 p.m. Monday in the firstfloor atrium at City Hall, according to
Sgt. Shayna Kendall.
Reyes, a city native, has been a New Haven police officer since 2000.
Over the course of his career, he held a variety of positions, including the head of the Detective Bureau’s Major Crimes Division, commander of the department’s Emergency Services Unit, HillSouth District manager, detective sergeant, patrol sergeant, DEA task force officer, narcotics enforcement officer and patrol officer.
He was named an assistant chief in October 2016 and has been serving as interim chief since March 22.