Mission Statement

The Primary Mission of the West Haven Police Department

The mission of the West Haven Police Department is to provide professional, knowledgeable, and thorough law enforcement services to ensure the safety and well being of all people, with constant awareness of the diverse needs of the individuals and community. Our officers will work in partnership with its citizens to achieve a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect for the betterment of the community. We will embrace a foundation of integrity and a code of ethics to provide the highest standard of quality of life.
 

Our Values

  • We will hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards of professionalism. We will conduct ourselves with ethics that reflect the integrity of our department to nurture public trust.
  • We are committed to treating all persons and employees fairly and equitably.
  • We are committed to a friendly, empathetic and courteous service, treating each citizen with dignity and respect.
  • We encourage values that will foster greater police interaction with the community. We are committed to fair and impartial enforcement.
  • We will respect and preserve the human rights granted to all people under the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Connecticut. We will preserve peace through effective law enforcement, problem solving, and community policing.
  • We are committed to the improvement of our knowledge and abilities to promote professional development to best serve our community.
  • We will always value human life as our highest priority.

Chief of Police

Chief Joseph Perno

Chief Joseph Perno started full time with the West Haven Police Department on July 1, 1978. Throughout his time at the department, Chief Perno has attended numerous training classes, including Drug Enforcement Training as well as a State’s Attorney’s Law Enforcement Training Program. During his more than 40 year career with the WHPD, Chief Perno has received numerous commendations, accolades, and distinctions.

In 1982, during his time as a Patrolman, he received two letters of commendation. His first was for his exceptional police work in apprehending an armed subject with an automatic weapon. His second was received for apprehending an armed subject who was threatening to take the life of a victim while armed with two weapons. In 1988, Chief received a commendation for his apprehension of a person who was armed and wanted on robbery and conspiracy charges from a West Haven business. He also received commendation for apprehending a subject who had fired a gun inside his residence and threatened to kill his girlfriend. In 1989, then Officer Perno received a commendation for his response to a shooting of a State Trooper and a West Haven Detective.  Officer Perno assisted in securing the area and provided cover for the wounded officers and medical personnel who were attending to the injured officers. Also in 1989, he received a letter of commendation for his assisting the New Haven Police Department in apprehending a homicide suspect, who was also part of a drug distribution network. This

assistance lead to the arrest of two additional felony offenders and recovered a .38 caliber handgun. Officer Perno was appointed a SWAT team member in 1989, and to the rank of

Sergeant on January 11, 1991.


Within his time as a Sergeant, he was assigned to the patrol division and then assigned to the Street Crime Unit. He was also appointed Assault Team Leader of the SWAT team in 1991. While working in the Street Crime Division, Chief Perno received a commendation for his work in persuading an armed man who had barricaded himself in the kitchen of his home to surrender without incident. This apprehension led to the discovery and seizure of a large quantity of marijuana. He also received commendation in 1993 for his work in arresting four suspects for selling marijuana on the property of Forest School, which occurred after a two month long narcotics investigation. In 1998 Perno was appointed Detective Sergeant.


On July 18, 2002, Sgt. Perno was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant where he served as a Shift Commander for the Patrol Division. On March 19, 2010, Lieutenant Joseph Perno was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief. Joseph Perno was sworn in as Chief of the West Haven Department of Police

Services on June 5, 2019.


A lifelong resident of West Haven, Chief Perno enjoys spending time with his wife, Tina, his five children, two granddaughters and three dogs, and watching the New York Rangers.

Deputy Chief Carl Flemmig

Deputy Chief Carl V. Flemmig Jr. joined the West Haven Police Department as a Patrol Officer on September 20, 1991 and subsequently ascended through the ranks of Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain, respectively.  

Deputy Chief Flemmig has served in numerous positions and capacities within the department during his career.  Most notably, as Lieutenant, he served as the evening (C Squad) Shift Commander and as Captain, he was responsible for the command and oversight of the Uniform Services, Investigative Services, and Administrative Services Divisions.  Deputy Chief Flemmig also served as the Officer in Charge of this Department’s Special Response Team (SRT). 

Deputy Chief Flemmig was born and raised in the Allingtown section of West Haven and is a graduate of West Haven High School.  Chief Flemmig earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Law Enforcement Administration from the University of New Haven.  

Deputy Chief Flemmig was sworn in as the Deputy Chief of Police on April 19, 2019.  

Past Chiefs

Police Commissioners

The Board of Police Commissioners (the governing body of the Police Department) was created by a legislative act on October 13, 1913. The first Board, appointed by First Selectman John Wilkinson, included James S. Harlow, Chairman; Charles W. Scranton, former chairman of the old police committee; and Charles Stormont.

Our current Police Commissioners are as follows:

Deborah B. Wright, John Carrano, Chairman Raymond Collins III, Paul E. Butler, Christopher Suggs
 To view or download the agenda or minutes from previous meetings click on the button below. Scroll down to the section for Board of Police Commissioners. Click on the year on the right.
All files are available in Adobe .PDF format.
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