East haven mayor confirms hiring of new interim chief

East Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - In a statement sent out to the press, Mayor Joseph Maturo said that Brent Larrabee, a former police chief in Framingham, Massachusetts and most recently, Stamford, Connecticut, will be named interim chief.  

"Brent is exactly the kind of leader we need in East Haven right now," Maturo wrote in his statement. "He brings a career of policing experience working to provide community oriented, progressive public safety practices in diverse communities."

Chief Larrabee earned his Master's degree in Public Administration from Framingham State College in Framingham, Massachusetts and a Bachelor's of Science in Law Enforcement from Northeastern University in Boston.  

Larrabee said in Maturo's statement, "I look forward to working with the Mayor, the Officers in the Department, community leaders and neighborhood groups to strengthen confidence in policing and bring a standard of excellence to East Haven."

The official announcement will be made Tuesday at Hagaman Memorial Library Community Room at 11:00 a.m.

Meanwhile, News 8 spoke with some long-time taxpayers who are tired of some of the East Haven bashing.

"I like people, don't have any prejudice. I welcome anyone, and I feel very bad that our town has come to have this name, because we aren't bad people," said 94-year-old Marie Streeto from an East Haven Dunkin' Donuts. "I'm tired of all the stories that the media is putting out. I think if they let us alone for a little while, we might get settled."  

Marie's friend, Lucy Guido, agreed.

"Get your sights off East Haven. We're tired of it. I'm sure in this world, there are worse things than East Haven. After awhile, it's nauseating!"

Headlines were made for a reason. FBI agents arrested four officers last month on criminal charges they violated Latinos' rights through false arrests. Soon after, Chief Leonard Gallo retired. He is believed to be "co-conspirator number one" in the federal affidavit.

"I'm not going to say I'm not from this town the way some people say, 'Oh no. I'm from Branford.' I do like Branford, but I love East Haven," Streeto said.