City of Hartford issued the following announcement.
Today Mayor Luke Bronin announced that this week he will nominate Interim Chief Jason Thody to serve as Chief of Police for the City of Hartford. Interim Chief Thody began leading the department in April 2019, after Chief David Rosado moved to the private sector. Interim Chief Thody has spent more than two decades as a member of the Hartford Police Department, beginning as a cadet in 1996. His nomination is subject to confirmation by the City Council.
“After many conversations in the community and a lot of deliberation over the past few weeks, I have come to the conclusion that our city and our police department would benefit more from continuity than from another change in leadership right now,” saidMayor Bronin. “I’ve worked closely with Interim Chief Thody over the past nine months, and I’ve seen his willingness to tackle tough issues openly and honestly, his commitment to building a culture of professionalism and accountability, and most of all, his personal commitment to the Hartford community and to the spirit of community policing. For me, the bottom line is this: the department is moving in the right direction, and after giving it a lot of thought, I don’t think this is the right time for yet another leadership change, or for a long national search that would create uncertainty and instability as we prepare for another summer.”
“Next week, I will hold a town hall to discuss my decision to nominate Chief Thody, and to continue hearing from the public about what they want to see from the department moving forward,” said Bronin.
“I’ve spent my entire adult life proudly serving the City of Hartford, and it would be the honor of a lifetime to lead our police department,” saidInterim Chief Thody. “Should I be confirmed, it’s my commitment that I will continue to work with the community, city leaders and our officers to improve the department, better engage with our residents, and expand the ways we serve our city. I have witnessed the department make great strides over the years, and I believe we can build on that foundation, with the help of our partners, to improve public safety and public trust in our police department.”
“We have gotten to know Interim Chief Thody well over the last year, and we have found him to be very open and transparent,” saidPastor Ronald Holmes, President of the Greater Hartford Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance. “He always reaches out, shared information, and invites dialogue, particularly when there are issues that concern us, and we appreciate that he listens. We look forward to working with him to build stronger relationships between the police department and our community.”
“We work with Interim Chief Thody on a regular basis, and under his leadership we have seen unprecedented coordination, engagement, and partnership between the police department, COMPASS Youth Collaborative, and other organizations working with young people in Hartford,” saidJacquelyn Santiago, CEO of COMPASS Youth Collaborative. “We believe that youth development is a shared effort, and we look forward to continuing to work with Interim Chief Thody because we know how deeply committed he is to that mission.”
“Since day one, Interim Chief Jason Thody has made it his business to better the department’s ethical conduct, create more opportunities of outreach to the community, maintain accountability within the department and work for the overall betterment of the Hartford Police Department,” saidDr. Michael David Bailey, Co-Pastor of The First Cathedral and Presiding Chairman, Hartford Police Department Chaplain Association. “We feel Interim Chief Thody’s elevation would be advantageous for the Police Department as well as the City of Hartford as a whole.”
“Interim Chief Thody has been a strong ally to victims of domestic violence, working closely with Interval House to address the needs of victims,”Mary-Jane Foster, President and CEO of Interval House. “At his suggestion, we embedded a domestic violence advocate in the police department. He made sure our domestic violence advocate was welcomed and supported in the department, which has already created an effective partnership, and we think he is a great choice to lead the Hartford Police Department.”
“We think Interim Chief Thody and his leadership team should continue their work,” saidAngel Sierra, President of the Spanish American Merchants Association. “Last year when we raised some concerns about Park Street, they were very responsive, and we are happy with our ongoing partnership. There are pros and cons to a national search, but things are moving in the right direction, and we don’t think the police department should change course.”
“I have known Jason Thody for nearly a decade, and he is honest, hardworking, very dedicated to Hartford, and I respect his partnership with our community,” saidHyacinth Yennie, Chair of the Maple Avenue Revitalization Group. “He is someone the community can trust to hold the department accountable and also address the issues residents care about. In my opinion, we do not need to do a national search when we have someone like Jason in the job.”
Interim Chief Thody has experience as both a supervisor and commander of many areas within the Department, including patrol operations, the neighborhood-based community policing plan, Planning and Accreditation, the Crime Scene Division, and special teams such as the Crisis Negotiation Team, Emergency Response Team and the Honor Guard. He has been a Connecticut P.O.S.T.C. certified law enforcement instructor since 2005, instructing new recruits and certified police officers in varying subjects including Fair and Impartial Policing’s Implicit Bias training program, which he brought to Hartford in 2015.
He is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute’s 135th Administrative Officers Course, the Police Executive Research Forum’s 60th session of the Senior Management Institute for Police, and FBI-LEEDA’s 183rd Executive Leadership Institute. In November of 2019, he was recognized by Faith Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Hartford for his commitment to serving the Hartford community and protecting residents.
Since he became Interim Chief, Thody has continued the department’s roll out of body-worn and in-car cameras, implemented a partnership with Interval House to embed a domestic violence advocate within the department, dedicated Officer James Barrett full-time to homeless outreach, created a dedicated motor vehicle accident team during rush hour, assigned a Community Service Officer to work exclusively on illegal dumping after meeting with residents and NRZ members, restructured the department’s background check process to provide financial wellness seminars, and strengthened the department’s external communications methods.
Interim Chief Thody earned an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Tunxis Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Albertus Magnus College, and a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice from the University of Louisville. He lives in Hartford with his fiancée and his three dogs.
Original source can be found here.
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