East Haven Police Department Makes History

Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr., Police Chief Brent B. Larrabee, and Police Commission Chairman William Illingworth have announced that the Board of Police Commissioners has recently promoted three of its officers to the rank of Detective, which will become effective on September 7th.

The three new Detectives are Officers Monique Colbert, Shirley Conyers and Jeffrey Vailette. Officer Colbert transferred to the East Haven Police Department from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) Police back in December of 2001. Officers Conyers and Vailette both began their police careers with the Town of East Haven in 2007.

“The department, which has had well over 50% turnover since the town entered an agreement with the Department of Justice, continues to recruit and promote the best people possible for our community. We also continue our trend of diversification, as the promotions of Officer Colbert and Officer Conyers are the first black officers to achieve the rank of Detective in the department’s history. “, Maturo said.

In the eighteen-month report (on the DOJ agreement), the Joint-Compliance Expert, Kathleen O’Toole, who served as an independent broker and supervisor of the Town’s progress, commended the “ total commitment on the part of the Town of East Haven” and noted that the Mayor, Police Chief, and department personnel in charge of this endeavor “have not wavered once on their commitments under the Settlement Agreement.”

Additionally, in her report, O’Toole concluded “that the milestones accomplished in the first eighteen months are impressive” and noted that “[a] solid foundation has been established…”