WATERTOWN, Conn. — New Haven's former Acting Police Chief, Renee Dominguez, who retired in May, after she was overlooked for the permanent top job, is back in policing as deputy chief in Watertown.
Dominguez spent the past four months sharing quality family time with her husband and their two young daughters during what she says was a memorable Summer. But, as Summer officially ends this week, so too did her retirement.
"I'm happy to have started and to be officially back at it working at a great police department," said Dominguez Monday afternoon.
She retired five months after the New Haven Board of Alders decided not to confirm her as the city's next permanent chief, and weighed whether to continue in policing.
"I was looking at everything like kind of what would be within my wheelhouse and in the end and I said it multiple times that I wasn't done. I don't feel done," said Dominguez.
As Watertown's deputy chief, she will focus on operations for a department that has about one-tenth the number of officers New Haven does.
"I felt she was a really good fit to be able to walk into this department, create the relationships that need to be created at a leadership level," said Chief Joshua Bernegger of the Watertown Police Department.
"Renee is a tremendous leader, tremendous person, great manager," said New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson. "It was my pleasure to work with her as an assistant chief."
New Haven's new chief said he will always consider Dominguez a member of the New Haven Police Department family and as a person who's had a positive influence on his family.
"My daughter, who is in school for criminal justice and wants to be a police officer, that's her idol, Chief Renee Dominguez," said Jacobson.
"As much as I congratulate Deputy Chief Dominguez for her new employment, the Watertown Police Department is certainly the winner in this situation," Bernegger added.
Her goal is building strong relationships with all the officers and to become a recognizable face and trusted leader of the Watertown community.
Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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