NEW HAVEN, Conn. — It’s a tradition unlike any other, the swearing-in of new police recruits. Thursday afternoon, 19 cadets took the oath on their journey to become a New Haven Police Officer at City Hall.
“We’re very excited about this class, it’s extremely diverse, six women. We want women in policing. If you’re out there and you’re home and you’re thinking about it, join the police force,” said Chief Karl Jacobson of the New Haven Police Department.
One of the six women in the newest class of recruits, Cianela Dobson, is the adopted daughter of retired officer, Michelle Dobson.
“She’s always wanted to be a police officer. I may have helped that come into fruition for her but, that was her dream,” Michelle said. “That’s been in her. I’m just a small piece I feel.”
Michelle met Cianela when she was a school resource officer at Cooperative Arts and Humanities Magnet High School in New Haven. It’s a role Michelle said she took on at a time in her more than 20-year career when she wasn’t sure she made the impact she wanted to.
“In my mind it was, ‘Okay, I got a lot of thank you’s for clearing corners, for arresting certain individuals, finding who burglarized someone’s home, okay. But how do I, what did I give to those who I arrested,’” Michelle said. “So I said, I need to get into the schools before I left to do something. To catch them when they’re a little bit younger and a little bit more willing to speak with us in a different environment.”
It was in that role, that she and Cianela made an almost instant connection. Michelle remembers their very first interaction when the then-teen made a complaint to her about the school lunches.
“Yes, I remember it vividly,” Michelle said, with a bright smile on her face.
From then on, Cianela would pay visits to Michelle’s office whenever she needed someone to talk to.
“My relationship that I have with my mom now really solidified the fact that I could do this myself,” Cianela said. “Seeing how she helped me and listened to me when nobody else would, it really pushed me forward to say, yes, law enforcement is the career that I want to be in.”
That connection grew stronger when Cianela lost her biological mom and began leaning on Michelle.
“I walked up to her and I said, ‘If you ever need me, my office is downstairs.’ I used to feed the kids, I had snacks or whatever, they would come down and, I said ‘If you want to talk I’m there,’” Michelle said.
“It kind of almost instantly slid into place, from mentor and motivator to parent. Because I had nobody else to step up at that time for me,” Cianela said.
Soon, Cianela would become Michelle’s adopted daughter. Then, she went to college and started on the path to becoming a police officer.
“Then it just became a tool to help people. Because, I know there’s someone out there who has a story similar to mine, and might not know where to turn,” Cianela said.
When she was sworn in as one of New Haven’s newest recruits Thursday afternoon, her mom felt the impact of it all.
“I’m proud of her. To see her from who I met years ago, to who she is now. To god be the glory, all of it,” Michelle said.
From here, Cianela and the other 18 recruits will go through an extensive training process. If they make it, they should be on the streets in May.
Jacobson said they’re expediting the program to get the officers on the street as soon as possible, to make up for the shortage they, and so many other departments are experiencing right now. This new class would bring them up to 345 officers, while the department is budgeted for 410 officers.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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