Nick Pastore

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Nick Pastore served as chief of the New Haven, Connecticut police department from 1990 through 1997, during which period he gained national attention due to his successfully implemented policy of community policing, a contrast to the quasi-militaristic approach for which the department had previously been criticized. His policies drew national attention, and were featured on an episode of the weekly CBS TV newsmagazine, 60 Minutes.

The previous New Haven police policies had been criticized as resembling an occupying force in some of the impoverished, generally African-American areas of the city, with "beat down posses" which would physically attack loitering groups of young black males and numerous lawsuits for police brutality. In the May 31, 1999 issue of The Nation, Pastore describes the department which he took over: "SWAT was going out several times a week. We were in full military mode—worst type of policing in the world...The whole city was suffering trauma. We had politicians saying, 'the streets are a war zone, the police have taken over' and the police were driven by fear and adventure. SWAT was a big part of that." He contrasts that with his approach: "The community policing broke down the anonymity between the people and the police. That creates accountability and cuts down on brutality. Brutality thrives on anonymity. Why do you think the SWAT teams wear these ninja suits, cover their badges and wear executioner masks?" [1]

Pastore instituted training programs in conflict resolution, problem solving, communication skills, sexual harassment, diversity, HIV, languages such as Spanish and American Sign Language, and various other challenges which faced the department personnel. In addition he fostered outreach to the community, assigning officers to "walk the beat" in many neighborhoods rather than driving through, established working relationships with not only civic and church leaders, but also gang leaders in an agreement to curb violent crime, and established police substations in ten districts, with local district managers empowered to connect with the citizens of their district in order to make informed decisions. Other innovative programs included creating a Family Violence Unit to support the operation of a new Family Violence Court, a Sexual Assault and Bias Unit which specialized in the handling of these specialized crimes, and a Board of Police Commissioners Special Subcommittee on Bias and Hate Crime, as well as a call-in show on local cable television, a series of conferences and seminars for the community on topics regarding law enforcement and social problems, and a joint program with the Yale Child Study Center which established teams of trained police officers, medical personnel, and counselors who responded immediately to crimes where children were involved.

Pastore's focus on the youth of the city also included establishment of a "Young Adult Board of Police Commissioners" composed of high school students who advised the department on issues regarding their age group. Achieving national recognition, the group met with President Bill Clinton and addressed the United States Congress.

In partnership with Harvard and Rutgers sociologist George Kelling, Pastore taught case management to police supervisors, and together with Yale psychiatrist Theodore Zanker, M.D., he delivered seminars in contemporary affairs and ethics for police academy students. He is currently an Associate Fellow of Morse College at Yale University.

Pastore went on to become a research fellow in police policy for the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation in Washington, D.C. from 1997 to 2003, and he continues to advise law enforcement agencies, community groups, and city governments on handling crime. He belongs to many professional organizations including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Executive Research Forum, the National Association of Black Law Enforcement, and the Board of Directors of the Drug Policy Foundation. He has authored many professional publications regarding effective law enforcement as well as popular articles, and frequently speaks at national conferences and meetings.

Pastore also played a role in the famous New Haven Black Panther trials; he was the officer who arrested Black Panther leader Bobby Seale and brought him to New Haven to stand trial, in 1970. In an episode symbolic of Pastore's policy of not making enemies, thirty one years later when Seale returned to New Haven to speak at the Yale Repertory Theatre, he presented Pastore with a pink porcelain pig and a hug.[2]