MAYOR JUSTIN ELICKER NAMES KARL R. JACOBSON AS NOMINEE TO SERVE AS THE NEXT CHIEF OF POLICE OF THE NEW HAVEN POLICE DEPARTMENT
Jacobson currently serves as Assistant Police Chief and is a 15+ year veteran of the New Haven Police Department
NEW HAVEN, CT – Today at a City Hall press conference, Mayor Justin Elicker named Karl R. Jacobson as his nominee to serve as the next permanent Chief of Police of the New Haven Police Department (NHPD). Jacobson currently serves as Assistant Police Chief and is a 15-year veteran of the NHPD.
“Karl Jacobson is a proven and principled public safety leader who is eminently qualified to serve as the next Chief of Police of the New Haven Police Department. Assistant Chief Jacobson is deeply respected by members of both the New Haven Police Department and the New Haven community – and it’s a respect that is well-deserved and hard-earned over his many years of dedicated service to the Elm City,” said Mayor Justin Elicker. “Assistant Chief Jacobson and I share a similar vision for the New Haven Police Department: one of utilizes community-based policing, one of deep respect and partnership with the community, and one of a holistic approach to public safety that moves beyond a policing-only paradigm. Karl Jacobson is the right person for the job, I am a grateful for his willingness to serve, and I am proud to submit Karl Jacobson for approval to the New Haven Board of Alders to serve as the next permanent Chief of Police of the New Haven Police Department.”
In his current capacity as Assistant Police Chief, Jacobson oversees Patrol Operations, the Detectives Division, SWAT, Emergency Services and School Resource Officers, among other responsibilities. Over his 15-year career at the New Haven Police Department, beginning in 2007, Jacobson has risen through the ranks from Police Officer to Sergeant to Police Lieutenant to Assistant Chief of the Detective Division to now the dual role of Assistant Chief of the Detective Division and Patrol Operations. Prior to the that, Jacobson served for nine years as a Police Officer and Task Force Officer with the East Providence Police Department in Rhode Island from 1998 to 2007. Assistant Police Chief Jacobson has received multiple local, state and national awards and recognition for his distinguished service, including the United States Attorneys Director’s Award (2018), the “Top Cop Award” from the National Association of Police Organizations (2018), and the AFT Director’s Award (2017), among others. Jacobson received a Bachelor of Science in Sociology & Justice Studies from Rhode Island College and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of New Haven.
“I am deeply honored to be nominated by Mayor Elicker to serve as the next Chief of Police for the New Haven Police Department. I love the City of New Haven, I love our residents and I love our police officers, and I am committed to doing everything I can to keep our residents, officers, streets and community safe,” said Assistant Police Chief Karl Jacobson. “New Haven is a great place to live, work and raise a family, and working together we are going to keep it that way and build an even safer city, a stronger city and a city with deeper police-community bonds than ever before.”
Over the past year, Assistant Chief Jacobson has helped lead the New Haven Police Department in their work in reducing violent crime. Compared to last year, between April 2021 and April 2022, homicides dropped from 10 to 3 and nonfatal shootings decreased from 26 to 20 through a combination of community policing approaches as well as innovative crime reduction partnerships and programs for past offenders, where they receive social service supports and employment opportunities to help facilitate their reentry back into society. The City of New Haven and New Haven Police Department are committed to building on this progress in the months and year ahead.
The naming of Jacobson as the nominee for Chief of Police comes after a robust nationwide search and community engagement process, where New Haven residents were provided with several opportunities to give their input on what they are looking for in their next police chief, what priorities are most important to them, and what suggestions they have to improve and strengthen the city’s approach to public safety. Following the job posting on Monday, March 28th, a community survey, town hall meetings and other outreach efforts took place over the next month to gather input and feedback from City residents to inform the selection process. The job application deadline was May 9th, and interviews quickly took place with multiple candidates. The executive search and recruitment process was led by Ralph Anderson & Associates.
“We looked far and wide for our next police chief. Our recruiter received many applications, we interviewed several excellent candidates from across the country, and one person clearly rose to the top and that was Karl Jacobson,” said Acting Police Chief Regina Rush-Kittle. “We appreciate all the input and engagement from City residents and stakeholders in the search process and we look forward to continuing to have an open and honest dialogue with the community to keep our City and residents safe.”
Jacobson’s nomination to the position of Chief of Police is subject to confirmation by the New Haven Board of Alders. Until then, Acting Police Chief Rush-Kittle will continue to serve in the role temporarily until a permanent police chief is confirmed, whereupon she will resume her responsibilities as the City’s Chief Administrative Officer.
