'I'm Sorry For What Happened' | New Haven Independent
Nine days after a police officer slammed her to the ground in handcuffs, a 15-year-old girl received a visit from New Haven’s police chief—along with an apology.
“I’m not here to do the investigation,” Chief Dean Esserman told the teenager Tuesday in the living room of her family’s home in the Columbus West housing complex in the Hill. “I’ll let the investigators do that. I’m not here to interfere with your lawyer. I’m here just to show my respect. I’m your police chief. And I’m also a parent. I just wanted to see you and tell your mother and tell your grandmother that I’m really sorry.
“Whatever happened that day on St. Patrick’s Day—that already happened. I just don’t want you to feel the police department doesn’t care about you.
“If you did wrong, at the right time and place, you’ll tell the truth. If we did wrong, at the right time and place we’ll tell the truth. That’s not why we’re here to today. We’re here today to show respect.”
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