Anthony Campbell

New Haven Police Chief Anthony Campbell Retiring

New Haven Police Chief Anthony Campbell will be retiring after 21 years with the department and he will be taking a new job.

In a Feb. 1 letter to the New Haven police community, Campbell wrote that he will be a state inspector for the Department of Justice in New Haven and he’ll be leaving the New Haven Police Department within the next 60 days.

Campbell said he is retiring now for a number of reasons.

“The main reason is I’m the sole source of income in my family and, as you know, the contract is going through arbitration right now although myself and assistant chiefs are not union members we are tied to that contract from the medical standpoint,” Campbell told NBC Connecticut.

With arbitration, the medical package will change, according to the chief.

“Medical is very important to me, being an asthmatic, having been seriously injured on this job, having children who have health concerns. I worked really hard for 21 years and part of why I came to New Haven at a lower pay scale was because it had a great benefits package,” Campbell said. “The thought of putting your life on the line for 20 years or more and then being able to leave with that medical was very important to me and now to have that being jeopardized, I can’t risk that.”

In 2006, Campbell was seriously injured on the job. He said he was paralyzed on the right side and had to learn how to walk again.

“It impacted my family emotionally, financially devastated, had to file for bankruptcy. It was a really difficult time but was able to come back and work through that,” he said.

In his letter to the police community, he said it has been an honor to serve.

“The last 21 years has been a blessing and an honor to serve with you and to serve you. I will be praying for each of you and for this great city as I have always been for the last 21 years,” Campbell wrote.

Campbell was selected as New Haven’s police chief in 2017 after serving as the interim chief when former Police Chief Dean Esserman resigned.

Mayor Toni Harp released the following statement:

“Chief Campbell’s command these past few years has been characterized by the lowest violent crime rates in the history of the city – and they’re still trending downward. He’s done a great job and we’ll be sorry to see him go. I’m so grateful for the chief’s steadfast service to the city and its police department these past 20-plus years. On behalf of city residents, property owners, and business operators, I thank him for that time with us and wish him Godspeed going forward.”

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