Hamden's Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships Program

Press release from the Hamden Police Department:

June 29, 2021

Hamden Mayor Curt Leng, along with Hamden Police Chief John Sullivan, are pleased to introduce the Council members for the newly formed Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships (SPCP) program in the Town of Hamden. This program is a collaborative effort of Hamden residents, town officials and the U.S. Department of Justice - Community Relations Service. The SPCP Council members were selected by their peers from their respective stakeholder groups during the SPCP community sessions. The stakeholder groups include Community Advocacy, Faith, Government, Law Enforcement, Business, Education, Disabilities, Elderly, and Youth.

The SPCP program is designed to improve public safety by strengthening trust and developing partnerships between law enforcement professionals and the diverse communities they serve. The SPCP program engages local law enforcement and community members in a dialogue to identify issues and solve problems collaboratively.

The SPCP Council will act in an advisory capacity and work in conjunction with law enforcement leaders in the Town of Hamden. The facilitator for the Hamden SPCP Council is Mrs. Jacqueline Beirne. The SPCP Council members include Rev. Odell Montgomery Cooper, Tai Richardson, Charra James, Chris Melillo, Dr. Kristina Veselak, Y’Isiah Lopes, Suzanne Cooney, Zakiyyah Hasan, Bradley Tobin, Ellyn Frazier Ferguson, Lynda Burke, Julian “Jules” LoRusso, Alianna Wray, Ayanna Lovieno, Camryn Cox, Princess Adjei, Reverend Keith King, Dawn Cathey, Angelina Pitts, Hummae McCollum, Officer Jeremy Brewer and Officer Jenisse Perez-Hernandez.

The mission statement for Hamden’s Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships program is, “The Hamden SPCP Council is a collaborative effort aimed at building a bridge through partnerships between the community and the Hamden Police Department. Our goal is to advocate for positive changes, promote educational opportunities, and provide greater transparency around important issues.”

In participating in this program, the Hamden Police Department believes that our relationship with the community will be strategically strengthened through these efforts.

By taking a pro-active approach, the police department will continue to place a strong emphasis on building community partnerships to better serve Hamden residents. The plan will be to foster better relationships with our citizens by building trust and working together to improve the overall quality of life in Hamden.

The Hamden Police Department is grateful to all the Hamden citizens and SPCP Council members that participated in this ongoing dialogue regarding policing and community outreach efforts in the Town of Hamden. This will continue to be a great opportunity to engage with the Hamden community and receive important feedback to help make Hamden safer for everyone.

The Hamden SPCP Council can be contacted at hamdenspcp@gmail.com and via Facebook (Hamden SPCP: Strengthening Police & Community Partnerships).

This press release was produced by the Hamden Police Department. The views expressed here are the author’s own.