Re: 4/17/03 - NH Register: Wearing retiring as police chief
Wearing retiring as police chief
William Kaempffer, Register Staff April 17, 2003
NEW HAVEN — Police Chief Melvin H. Wearing will retire before the end of the month after 34 years on the police force and six years as chief.
A formal announcement will take place today, but rumors of his decision quickly swirled around police headquarters Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday evening, Wearing confirmed his imminent departure.
"It’s just time to move on. I had a wonderful career in law enforcement," Wearing, 59, said.
"The department obviously is in good shape and will be left in good hands. We’ve done a lot of work there over the years," he added.
During his tenure, crime continued its decade-long decrease in the city, even after the natonal crime rate appeared to bottom out and to creep upward. Since he became chief in 1997, Wearing also received a number of national awards for the department’s efforts in community policing At the same time, Wearing endured a number of internal scandals, including one state grand jury probe that led to the arrest of the former head of the detective bureau. And his relationships with Mayor John DeStefano Jr. and New Haven State’s Attorney Michael Dearington were not always smooth.
Inside the department, there had been persistent rumors of Wearing’s retirement for years, replete with "golden handshake" retirement packages and specific departure dates. None ever panned out.
Last February, he was appointed to a new, four-year term and publicly stated he planned to serve its entirety.
In the end, a $20,000 retirement incentive might have given him the final nudge out the door. Facing lean financial times, City Hall has offered the budget-trimming incentive to as many as 20 officers who agree to retire.
The deadline for applying is Monday.
The former assistant chief, Douglas MacDonald, already took the package.
That could mean the new assistant chief, Francisco Ortiz, could have the shortest ever tenure at that post.
He was sworn in March 3. Conventional wisdom inside the department taps him as the heir apparent for the top job.
Board of Aldermen President Jorge Perez, D-5, of the Hill neighborhood complemented Wearing on the state of the department as he exits.
"He can hold his head up because he’s leaving the department when the city’s crime rate is down," Perez said. "He’s leaving behind a department that is much more diverse than when he started."
Alderwoman Robin I. Kroogman, D-14, of Fair Haven said Wearing has appointed "the best and the brightest" community policing officers to the waterfront neighborhood.
"In community policing, Mel has been fabulous," said Kroogman, immediate past chairwoman of the board’s Public Safety Committee. "He was very proud of the position and humble about being in the position. He came in every day and worked very hard at being a cop."
Sgt. Louis G. Cavalier, the longtime police union president, butted heads frequently with Wearing early in the chief’s tenure, but the two reached a mutual appreciation.
"As a union president, I’m going to miss him," Cavalier said. "He’s probably one of the better chiefs I’ve ever worked with one-on-one. I hate to see the man go."
Lt. Leo Bombalicki echoed the sentiment of many supervisors in the rank and file.
"He is a very, very decent man," Bombalicki said.
Born in Plantersville, S.C., Wearing ascended through the ranks, working in the patrol division for five years before becoming a detective in the investigative services unit. Ten years later, he was promoted to sergeant, later becoming the first black chief of detectives, a lieutenant and the city’s first black assistant police chief in 1993.
Wearing was also the first African American to serve as chief of the department.
He became acting police chief on Feb. 8, 1997, following the abrupt resignation of Chief Nicholas Pastore.
Wearing served out the remainder of Pastore’s term and in 1998 was appointed to his own four-year term, and then was re-appointed in 2002.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
William Kaempffer can be reached at wkaempffer@nhregister.com, or at 789-5727. Reporters Angela Carter and Joseph Straw contributed to this report.
©New Haven Register 2003
newhavenregister.com |
