Acting police Chief David Zannelli was sworn in as the New Haven Police Department’s permanent chief on Tuesday.
The swearing-in comes after Zannelli’s nomination by New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker was unanimously approved by the New Haven Board of Alders on Monday evening, the mayor’s office said.
Zannelli took over as acting chief in January after Karl Jacobson abruptly filed retirement papers when he was confronted about embezzlement allegations involving funds used by police to pay confidential informants. In March, Elicker nominated Zannelli to move into the position permanently.
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“I stand before you deeply honored, humbled and fully aware of the responsibility entrusted to me as the next police chief of the city of New Haven, a privilege that I do not take lightly,” Zannelli said at the ceremony in City Hall. “However, this moment is not mine alone. It belongs to our team of officers who continuously serve with courage and integrity to keep this community safe, the families who support those officers and the residents of New Haven who place their trust in us every day.
“Our mission moving forward is straightforward, but not simple,” Zannelli said. “We must protect our community while earning the trust of the community every day. Public safety is the foundation of any thriving city. People deserve to feel safe in their homes and in the community. That means we’ll be proactive and focused in our efforts to reduce violent crime in the city.
“But policing is not only about enforcement,” Zannelli added. “It’s about relationships. We cannot succeed without the trust of the community we serve. Trust is not built through words alone. It is built through consistency, transparency and engagement.”
According to city officials, Zannelli is an 18-year veteran of the police force who graduated from the New Haven police academy in 2008. He held the rank of officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain and assistant chief before being named acting chief.
Zannelli holds a master’s degree in public administration, a master’s certificate in criminal justice, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and also graduated from the FBI National Academy.
With the police force, Zannelli has overseen or led the major crimes and sexual assault unit, the homicide unit, the internal affairs unit and the professional standards and training division. When he made the nomination, Elicker said he was most impressed with how Zannelli and his colleagues handled the Jacobson scandal.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit charging Jacobson with two counts of first-degree larceny, Zannelli recorded the conversation when he and other assistant chiefs confronted Jacobson about funds that were missing from the Narcotics Enforcement Program. Jacobson, the warrant affidavit said, could be heard on the recording allegedly admitting that, after fixing his drinking problem, he turned to online gambling apps.
According to the warrant affidavit, Jacobson allegedly admitted to using police funds to support his gambling habit. The criminal investigation conducted by Connecticut State Police found that $85,500 was misappropriated, which included $4,000 that was missing from the Police Activity League account, which is used for youth and community events.
Investigators also obtained search warrants for Jacobson’s online gambling accounts, finding that he allegedly wagered more than $1.3 million on DraftKings and $3.1 million on FanDuel over the course of a year, the warrant affidavit said. Collectively between the two apps, he suffered a net loss of just under $215,000, the warrant affidavit said.
Jackson’s case remains pending in New Haven Superior Court.