By Miguel Pittman Sr.
Community policing is built on trust. But trust cannot exist without fairness, transparency, accountability, and mutual respect between police officers and the residents they are sworn to serve.
Recently, I had an experience with the New Haven Police Department that raised an important question: Does every New Haven resident have a fair and reasonable opportunity to review police body-worn camera footage before deciding whether to file a formal complaint?
Several months ago, I had an encounter with two New Haven police officers near my home. I left that encounter believing that the tone and manner in which I was addressed were unnecessarily aggressive.
Rather than immediately filing a complaint, I decided to request the body-worn camera footage.
Why?
Because I believe accountability must work both ways.
If I misunderstood an officer’s actions, words, or intentions, I did not want to place an unnecessary complaint against that officer. At the same time, I believed I had a right to understand what happened.
Unfortunately, what I thought would be a straightforward process turned out to be more complicated. I learned that obtaining a copy of the footage through the Freedom of Information process would place my request in a queue with more than 100 other pending requests.
Meanwhile, the police department had already been able to review the footage internally.
That raised a serious concern.
Why should the department have the opportunity to examine the evidence while a resident seeking to make an informed decision may have to wait an extended period to see that same evidence?
After several communications, Captain Michael Fumiatti agreed to meet with me personally. On Oct. 12, 2026, we sat down and reviewed the body-worn camera footage together.
I want to publicly thank Captain Fumiatti for his professionalism, willingness to listen, and commitment to discussing the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
After reviewing the footage, I concluded that my initial concerns about the officer’s tone were reflected in the recording.
However, Captain Fumiatti and I also agreed that the officer’s conduct did not rise to the level of a violation of the department’s General Orders.
That distinction matters.
An officer’s conduct can make a resident feel uncomfortable or disrespected without necessarily violating departmental policy.
Likewise, an officer may interpret a resident’s questions as challenging their authority when the resident is simply trying to understand what is happening.
Communication can break down on both sides.
That is precisely why patience, professionalism, judgment, and mutual respect are essential to community policing.
What began as a disagreement became an opportunity for greater understanding. And because I had the opportunity to review the footage before filing a complaint, I was able to reach an informed conclusion without placing an unnecessary complaint against the officers.
But my experience raises a much larger issue.
What happens to the ordinary New Haven resident who does not know whom to call, does not understand the Freedom of Information process, or cannot arrange a personal meeting with a police captain?
I have been involved in community leadership for many years. As chair of the Hill North Community Management Team, I have developed working relationships with police officials and city leadership.
Those relationships helped me navigate the process.
But access to fairness should never depend on personal relationships, community standing, or knowing the right people.
A resident living in Newhallville, the Hill, Fair Haven, Dixwell, or any other neighborhood should have the same opportunity to understand an encounter with police.
That should be a matter of established public policy, not personal connections.
I believe the New Haven Board of Police Commissioners should examine whether the department can establish a clear procedure allowing residents to request an opportunity to view body-worn camera footage before deciding whether to file a formal complaint.
Such a process must comply with Connecticut law, protect privacy, and recognize legitimate investigative and administrative considerations.
I am not suggesting that every request can be accommodated immediately or that every recording can legally be disclosed.
But residents deserve to know what options are available, how to request them, and what timeframe they can reasonably expect.
There is also a benefit to our police officers.
Not every disagreement between an officer and a resident should automatically become a formal complaint.
Sometimes reviewing the facts, having a conversation, and gaining a better understanding of what happened can resolve a misunderstanding before it escalates.
That protects residents while also treating officers fairly.
I recently brought these concerns before the New Haven Board of Police Commissioners and requested that the board consider placing the issue on a future agenda.
I believe the board should examine three fundamental questions:
- Accessibility: Is there a clear, publicly available process for residents to request an opportunity to review body-worn camera footage before deciding whether to file a complaint?
- Fairness: Can the department establish a consistent procedure that protects residents’ rights while preventing unnecessary complaints against officers
- Transparency: Does the public understand the difference between requesting a copy of footage, requesting an opportunity to view footage, and filing a formal civilian complaint?
These are reasonable questions that deserve public discussion.
Police Chief David Zannelli has emphasized compassion and accountability as important principles of community policing.
I support that philosophy.
But those principles must be reflected not only in what we say publicly, but also in the policies and procedures residents experience when interacting with the department.
Community policing cannot be measured solely by the number of meetings police attend, the relationships officials develop with community leaders, or the public statements made about accountability.
It must also be measured by how the department treats an ordinary resident who has a concern, asks a question, or seeks information.
As someone who has spent decades working to strengthen the Hill neighborhood, I believe the relationship between residents and law enforcement is too important to leave to chance.
Our police officers have difficult jobs. They deserve respect, support, fair treatment, and the
opportunity to perform their duties professionally.
Our residents deserve exactly the same commitment to fairness and respect.
We should never have to choose between supporting our police officers and holding our police department accountable. We can and should do both.
My individual concern was resolved through a constructive conversation.
Now the challenge is to make sure the opportunity for that kind of resolution is not limited to someone who knows how to navigate the system.
The real measure of community policing is not how the system treats people with connections.
It is how the system treats people who have none.
That is the standard New Haven should strive to meet.
Miguel Pittman Sr. is the chair of the Hill North Community Management Team