New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
‘Forge ahead’
New acting chief aims to hire officers, bolster command, ‘make a path’
NEW HAVEN — Acting Police Chief Renee Dominguez can’t remember wanting to do anything other than be a police officer.
She’s followed that path to the top — and hopes other women will do the same.
“I think strong women in strong places have been able to forge ahead and make a path for other women to come behind,” Dominguez said.
A police officer for just shy of 20 years, Dominguez took on the role of acting police chief March 6; outgoing Chief Otoniel Reyes is using leftover vacation time through June 30. Dominguez said she will focus on department morale, adding resources and fully staffing the command ranks, and community policing.
Dominguez joined the New Haven Police Department in 2002. After a short stint on the job in Newtown, she said she was attracted by the chance to live closer to family and work in a bigger city.
But she had always wanted to become a police officer for as long as
she could remember — “there was never any other path for me,” she said. A native of East Haven, when younger, she was struck by the character of Officer Stacy Sheriden, played by Heather Locklear, as she watched re-runs of “T.J. Hooker,” she said.
As she grew older, she figured out that the profession fit with her approach to the world — a self described “type A personality,” she liked to be able to have a hand in things and make a practical difference in people’s lives.
“As a police officer, you come to work every day and it’s always different, but, however, you can always make it what you want... you’re able to step into people’s lives at... (a time) of great crisis, but also at great times of joy, when you get to do some of the community things,” said Dominguez.
“I liked to have a piece of that, instead of just watching from the outside in. I liked to be able to be involved in that,” she said.
“And this is one of the few professions where you actually get to make a difference.”
Over the years, she walked a beat, worked as a district manager and served as head of the Family Services Division, among other responsibilities, before being named an assistant chief in July 2019, then as Reyes’ successor in January.
Role model
Dominguez is the second woman to lead the department, following in the footsteps of Stephanie Redding, who twice served as acting chief.
Dominguez said the importance of that surprises her at times, as younger female officers thank her for serving as an example.
“You don’t realize the role model status you have sometimes. So that’s very important. It just means that the old (this is) a male-dominated profession, per say, or you only get so far as a woman,” said Dominguez. “That’s not true for this agency, clearly, but I don’t think it’s true for policing overall .... ”
“I hope it just shows that young sergeant in the academy, that young officer who has aspirations to move up, that — all the way to the top. You can get all the way to the top,” said Dominguez. “And I’ve said it a bunch of times — I have two little girls. Will they go into policing and want to be the police chief? No, but they’re going to want to do something and they’re going to want to go all the way to the top, because if mom can do it, and mom can do all the other things that moms have to do, you can do anything.”
Dominguez said that women can have a different style of policing from men. With smaller natural statures, instead of being confident in getting into a physical altercation, for example, it can be beneficial to talk your way out of situations, she said. At the command level, women are used to juggling multiple responsibilities, as mothers, wives, officers — there are times management skills that come with that, she said.
“It’s just knowing your limitations, knowing your strengths,” said Dominguez.
In command
In her new role, Dominguez said she hoped to support officers while balancing her responsibilities to the community and the organization as a whole.
“I hope that I’m able to continue the upward morale that we’ve been having. I hope the officers see me as somebody who is fair but consistent in any decision I make, supportive of them, but, however, making decisions for the organization as a whole and our place in the community,” said Dominguez.
“I hope the community sees me as someone they can rely on, that has their best interests at heart in balancing the two,” she said.
Asked about Reyes’ farewell remarks to the department, in which he asked his colleagues to maintain their humanity in the face of the job, Dominguez noted the inherent stress in the profession.
Officers are asked to be able to greet people at a community basketball event one moment, then respond to a shooting in the next, she said. That range of responsibilities can be difficult for people outside the profession to grasp, she said, even for the family members of officers.
“Policing, overall, is stressful. And you go through peaks and valleys of stress, depending on what your assignment is and what the climate of the time is,” said Dominugez. “Every decision you make could change the course of someone’s life, for the good and for the bad. And I think if you don’t remember your core values, and if you don’t remember your why, why you came here, you could lose yourself.”
There also is a new focus on mental health in the profession, she said. The stress of the job was previously not discussed — now officers are reminded to be off when they’re off, and focus on their lives outside policing as well.
Community policing
A kind word or note from a resident about a job well done can be a big deal, Dominguez said. It’s a reminder that an officer is on the right path.
“Obviously, if something didn’t go well, we need to know. But when things do go well, you don’t need to write a letter — you need to tell the officer,” said Dominguez. “Just the reminder that what you’re doing is mattering in the moment; I think that just helps center you in knowing you have a calling, you’re in it, and you’re doing the right thing and you’re making change in somebody’s life in a positive way.”
Dominguez said she believes the department is one of the best in the country, with a particular focus on community policing, built over decades.
The phrase “community policing” can mean different things to different people, she said, but it’s built on being engaged with the city and its residents at every level, from offering a direct link to command through the district managers to the Explorer and PAL programs for young people.
Resources
In the near future, Dominguez said she was hoping to promote and fully staff the command ranks, as well as hire new officers. The opportunity for promotion allows officers to find passion and energy in a new challenge, she said, which can benefit the department.
Nine officers recently were promoted to sergeant, a move Dominguez said increased diversity at the supervisory level in the department. In addition to the importance of adding resources and supporting officers, training will be a focus, Dominguez said.
Dominguez also noted the importance of addressing violent crime, pointing out that the violence of January and early February, in which there were seven homicides in the city, had ebbed in recent weeks.
Crime is cyclical, she said, but the resumption of Project Longevity, which meets with people at risk of being involved in violence, and a greater focus on proactive policing will hopefully make an impact, she said.
Dominguez said she was excited at the new opportunities brought by her role. She wanted to be acting chief; she’s looking forward to what the future will bring. If offered the full time job in the future, she said she would take it.
“I can’t wait to see what six months looks like, and I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish here,” said Dominguez. “I’m excited.”