NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Current Assistant Chief of Police Renee Dominguez is expected to be named the acting chief in the coming days. On Thursday afternoon she joined Mayor Justin Elicker and fellow New Haven police officers going door-to-door in a familiar neighborhood.
"A lot of these faces I remember," said Dominguez.
Dominguez walked along Winchester Avenue seeing familiar faces in familiar places. The Newhallville section of New Haven was her first beat in the department. She spent many of her early years in the department walking the same streets.
"I love seeing the kids that are now teenagers or the kids who are now moms. It’s just nostalgic it brings back a lot of good memories," said Dominguez. "It brings you back to why you became a police officer."
Dominguez, Elicker and fellow officers knocked on every door as the traveled North on Winchester. They asked how people were feeling about the neighborhood, how school was going and introduced themselves to newer residents.
"The most important thing about community policing is that the relationship between the community and the police and the support that we provide the community and vice versa," said Mayor Justin Elicker.
The area was not chosen at random. Just three blocks away from the police substation, a stray bullet from a shooting Thursday morning struck First Amistad High School. The incident put the school into lockdown.
Then another shooting occurring less than a mile away on Townsend Street Thursday afternoon while Dominguez was visiting her old stomps.
She hopes her story can be an inspiration to others who want to make it out of the neighborhood.
"Remember me when I was a walking beat officer and look what this community can do for you," said Dominguez.
Assistant Chief Dominguez will be the second female acting chief in the Department's history.
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