http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-chief6jan13,0,6931896.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
By Eve Sullivan
Staff Writer
January 13, 2005
STAMFORD -- As Stamford's new police chief started his third day on the job yesterday morning, he seemed slightly overwhelmed but still enthusiastic.
"It's been a whirlwind," Chief Brent Larrabee said as he sat in his office at police headquarters. "I'm new to the community and new to the department. I have to try and get around and meet everybody."
Larrabee has spent the week introducing himself: at a police lineup Monday morning, a staff meeting Tuesday, a police commission meeting yesterday and dozens of quick greetings in the halls and offices of police headquarters.
"They have been very open and, as a group, they've been welcoming," Larrabee said of his new colleagues. "I don't feel there's a resentment from anyone. If they have resentment, they've hid it."
Tomorrow, Larrabee will attend a Board of Finance meeting, and he will try to make his way out into the community next week.
"This is a little conveyor belt . . . it's moving all the time," Larrabee said. "I hope people understand there are a lot of demands on my time."
Larrabee, 58, was selected as police chief last month from among three final candidates from outside the department. He will be sworn into office at a 11 a.m. ceremony today at the Government Center.
He said his four children will attend the ceremony. His three sons are coming from New York, Boston and San Diego; his daughter is flying in from Portland, Ore.
Larrabee previously spent 30 years in the Framingham, Mass., Police Department, where he served as chief from 1987 to 2001. He served last year as interim chief in Westwood, Mass.
Taking the position means Larrabee, who has been living in Florida, will have to find a home in Stamford. He's staying at the Holiday Inn and plans to look at a place tomorrow.
"I thoroughly enjoy the weather in Stamford because it's gray and cold and rainy every time I come here," the native New Englander said with a laugh.
So far, Larrabee said he sees some similarities between Stamford and other police departments. There are always issues about equipment and issues between management and labor, such as contract negotiations and job assignments, he said. The police union and the city are about to start negotiations over a new contract.
"I've seen a lot of this," Larrabee added.
But he also sees some big differences.
"The department looks like it's been left behind a little technology-wise," Larrabee said. "That's something I'd like to change."
Among his goals, Larrabee said he wants to improve the condition of the 805 Bedford St. headquarters.
Aside from his meetings yesterday, Larrabee also made time for Pierre Exantus, a senior at Stamford High School doing a class project.
The chief took about 10 minutes to answer questions from Exantus about race relations in Stamford.
Since he's only been chief for 48 hours, Larrabee told Exantus he couldn't answer some of his questions, but he said he has heard there is a good relationship between different racial groups in the city.
When the student left, Larrabee told him, "Anytime you want to stop in, you can."
The Board of Representatives confirmed Larrabee as the police chief Jan. 3 and awarded him a five-year contract. Under the contract, he will make $105,000 a year, have use of a city vehicle and is required to live in Stamford.
Mayor Dannel Malloy, who hired former police chief Dean Esserman for his community policing background, has said Larrabee's commitment to community policing was a major factor in his hiring. Larrabee has been friends with Esserman for 15 years and recently did consulting work with the Providence, R.I., Police Department, where Esserman is now chief.
In Stamford, community policy pushed officers to work with outside organizations and attend community meetings. The department also created substations and divided the city into districts so officers would become familiar with neighborhoods.
In Framingham, Larrabee is known for forging a link between the police department and residents. During previous meetings in Stamford, he said he supports putting defibrillators in police cars and wants to tackle youth violence.
Larrabee is replacing former chief Louis DeCarlo, who rose through the ranks and retired after 33 years on the force.
Copyright © 2005, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.