Mayor Justin Elicker has formally submitted to the Board of Alders his nomination of Acting Police Chief David Zannelli to serve as the city’s next permanent police chief. If confirmed by local legislators, Zannelli’s four-year term as the city’s next top cop would extend through Jan. 31, 2030. A resident of Stonington, Zannelli would have to move to New Haven within six months of his confirmed appointment. Elicker has previously said that he plans to submit to the alders a proposal that would allow for the waiving of residency requirements for department heads. Elicker’s nomination submission for Zannelli was listed as a communication on the agenda for Monday’s full Board of Alders meeting. It now heads to an aldermanic committee for review before returning to the full board for a final vote. (Local legislators also took a vote Monday on confirming Elicker’s appointment of the city’s next permanent fire chief, New Haven Fire Department veteran Daniel Coughlin.) The mayor’s aldermanic submission comes less than two weeks after Elicker joined Zannelli and dozens of city employees, police officers, and supporters on the second floor of City Hall to announce that he had picked the 18-year New Haven Police Department (NHPD) veteran to be the city’s next police chief. Zannelli grew up in Johnston, Rhode Island, and has risen the NHPD ranks from officer to sergeant to lieutenant to captain to assistant chief. He has served as the department’s acting chief since Jan. 5, when his predecessor, Karl Jacobson, abruptly retired — and was subsequently arrested — for allegedly stealing $85,500 in public funds meant for confidential informants and a youth-sports league. Per the city’s charter, an acting police chief can serve in that temporary role for no more than six months before the mayor has to submit their name to the Board of Alders for confirmation as permanent chief.  Zannelli has said that, if confirmed as the next chief, he will prioritize restoring walking beats and bicycle beats, as well as partnering with the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) to deter youth crime. The NHPD’s latest CompStat report states that, through March 29, there have been 0 homicides and seven non-fatal shootings so far this year, compared to two homicides and two non-fatal shootings by that same time last year. Click here and here to read about some of the arrests that city police have made so far for this year’s shootings. The post Zannelli’s Police-Chief Appointment Heads To Alders appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less