New Haven chief wants more officers

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- New Haven Police Chief Dean Esserman wants to add more officers to the beat, and hire someone to focus on social media for the department.

The chief outlined his proposal to the Board of Aldermen Monday night.

Chief Esserman would like to see force at about 460 officers. That would allow more officers on walking beats.

The city is in the process of applying for a federal grant to hire six more officers.

The chief also would like to hire a civilian as a "community communications manager" to run the department's social media sites and reach out to community groups. The aldermen want more information before hitting 'like' on the idea.

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