East Haven Mayor and Police Chief Heading to the White House

Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. and Police Chief Brent Larrabee announced today that as a result of the East Haven Police Department’s “remarkable” turnaround, they have been invited to attend a Community Policing Forum at the White House this Thursday, July 23rd.

Maturo explained in a prepared statement, “The President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing recently released its final report which identifies and details best practices for Police Departments across the country. In conjunction with the release of that report, the White House and the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is hosting a community policing forum to discuss and share best practices on the implementation of the recommendations of that report. As a result of East Haven’s position on the forefront of the policing industry, we have been invited to participate in this exciting collaboration of leaders and police executives from across the country.”

According to Maturo, only approximately forty (40) towns and cities across the country have been invited to bring a delegation of four representatives to the forum, with a recommendation that each attending jurisdiction bring a faith leader to the program. As such, the Mayor and Chief will be accompanied by Deputy Police Chief Edward Lennon and Father Thomas Sievel of St. Vincent de Paul Church, who is also one of the department’s chaplains.

Chief Brent Larrabee explained in a prepared statement, “The Town’s prior Joint Compliance Expert has described our Police Department’s progress and its turnaround as ‘remarkable.’ If you compare the Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing with our consent decree, you’ll find they’re substantially similar in a number of respects. As a result, East Haven’s delegation will bring a unique perspective to this forum since we have already implemented a number of the best practices outlined in the report and are in a position to comment substantively on their effectiveness.”

The full day forum features a number of speakers and includes six interactive, break-out sessions on a number of topics including, among others, “Policy and Oversight,” “Training & Education,” and “Building Trust and Legitimacy.” Of note, the United States Attorney General, Loretta E. Lynch, is expected to address all of the delegations in attendance for the event.

Larrabee continued, “I consider our department’s young police executives and our patrol family to be on the cutting edge of these topics. Above all, I believe this invitation is recognition by the White House of the tremendous work done by the Town of East Haven and the men and women of the East Haven Police Department.”

Maturo concluded, “Since the time we undertook the monumental project of overhauling our Police Department, I have maintained that we would emerge from this undertaking as one of the finest small Police Departments in the country. I’m proud of all of our personnel and even more proud that their hard work has garnered national attention. We will continue to work hard and, through opportunities like this, collaborate with other jurisdictions across the country to ensure that we continued to employ best practices and remain on the forefront of the policing industry.”