Zannelli (right) with Lt. Guliuzza, Lt. Werner, and Asst. Chiefs Bhagtana and Ettienne: “Humbled” by alders’ support. The Board of Alders voted unanimously Monday night to approve the mayor’s appointment of Acting Police Chief David Zannelli to serve as the city’s next permanent chief — with alder after alder praising him for his rise through the ranks, his close community connections, and his “steady” leadership in times of crisis. That vote took place during the latest biweekly meeting of the full Board of Alders, which was held in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall. Zannelli, an 18-year New Haven Police Department (NHPD) veteran who worked his way up from officer to sergeant to lieutenant to captain to assistant chief to acting chief, is slated to be sworn in at City Hall on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Zannelli’s newly confirmed four-year term as the city’s next top cop extends through Jan. 31, 2030. Over the course of Monday’s meeting, 15 different alders — a full half of the 30-person board — took their turns standing up to voice their enthusiastic support for Zannelli’s appointment and to encourage their colleagues to do the same. The alders who spoke up on Monday hailed from all across New Haven, from the Hill to Fair Haven to East Rock to Westville to Dixwell to the Annex to Dwight to Downtown. It’s rare to see so many alders from so many different neighborhoods speak up so enthusiastically about any proposal, noted Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller. That speaks to the relationships Zannelli has forged all across New Haven during his nearly two decades as a city cop. “This room just set a really high bar for the whole police department,” Board of Alders President and West River Alder Tyisha Walker-Myers said as she used a “point of personal privilege” at the end of the meeting, after the vote had taken place, to congratulate Zannelli. While none of the alders on Monday mentioned Zannelli’s predecessor, Karl Jacobson, by name, several alluded to a Jan. 5 incident during which Zannelli and fellow Assistant Chiefs Bertram Ettienne and Manmeet Bhagtana confronted Jacobson about the latter’s alleged theft of public money meant for confidential informants. On that same day, Jacobson retired and Mayor Justin Elicker tapped Zannelli to serve as acting chief. (Jacobson was later arrested, on Feb. 20, for allegedly stealing a total of $85,500 in city funds at the same time that he gambled over $4.4 million on the sports-betting apps DraftKings and FanDuel, reaching a net loss of at least $214,000. Jacobson has entered pro-forma not guilty pleas to those two larceny charges.) On Monday, Zannelli sat alongside Ettienne and Bhagtana — as well as city police spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart, Lt. David Guliuzza, Lt. Derek Werner, and retired city police officer and current city fire commission Chair David Hartman — as local legislators heaped praise on Zannelli in advance of the final vote. Zannelli brings “steady leadership, deep institutional knowledge, a strong commitment to public service,” and well-established community connections to the role, said Edgewood Alder and Aldermanic Affairs Committee Chair Evette Hamilton. “He’s known for standing up for what’s right, even under pressure.” Fair Haven Alder Frankie Redente described Zannelli as an “exemplary leader” who got to know the Fair Haven community well when he served as the neighborhood’s district manager. He praised Zannelli’s “steady rise through the ranks,” including six promotions, and noted that he is “held in exceptionally high esteem by his peers.” Board of Alders Majority Leader and Westville/Amity/Beverly Hills Alder Richard Furlow also lauded Zannelli for his “strong, effective, steady, and measured leadership.” He noted that violence in New Haven “is at an all time low,” and described Zannelli as someone “who understands public safety and the importance of public trust.” The accolades kept coming. “I really believe he is the person that can lead this department,” said Beaver Hills Alder and Public Safety Committee Chair Brian Wingate. “He will lead with integrity, honor, and vision,” said Annex Alder Sal Punzo. “He is someone who listens, who shows up,” said East Rock Alder Anna Festa. “Leadership matters, and character matters more. When it counted, he did not look the other way.” Downtown Alder Elias Theodore thanked Zannelli for staying in such close communication with alders and constituents, and spoke about how excited he is for more walking and biking beats, as Zannelli has promised. Hill Alder Evelyn Rodriguez said that Zannelli’s career trajectory within the NHPD communicates to other, younger officers who are now walking a beat that they too “can become chief.” “He has always demonstrated an ease and love for every ward,” said Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison. “When you talk to him, you feel like your ward is the most special” in the whole city. After the vote, Zannelli said he is humbled and grateful for the alders’ support. Strong relationships are built “slowly,” he said, over the decades. “It’s humbling,” he repeated, to see and hear so many community leaders speak up about how those relationships have grown over time. The city’s charter, meanwhile, requires that the city’s police chief live in New Haven within six months of their appointment to the job. Zannelli, 42, lives with his wife and three children in Stonington. When asked in recent weeks about whether or not he plans to move to New Haven, Zannelli has consistently said that he is willing to abide by whatever rules the alders set for him. Mayor Elicker and Majority Leader Furlow recently submitted a proposal to the Board of Alders that would grant residency-requirement waivers on a case-by-case basis for newly appointed department heads who, among other criteria, demonstrate that moving to New Haven “would impose a substantial hardship” for them. That proposal has not yet had a public hearing, let alone a vote, by the alders. Asked again on Monday about his residency, Zannelli repeated that he will follow whatever rules are required of him by the alders. He said he has not yet reviewed the residency-requirement-waiver proposal, and is not yet familiar with what criteria an eligible candidate would have to meet in order to receive such an exemption. With City Clerk Michael Smart. Edgewood Alder Evette Hamilton stops by for a peck on the cheek and a photo. The post Zannelli Confirmed As Police Chief appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less