Top City Police Administrator Leaving

September 7, 2005
By STEPHANIE REITZ, Courant Staff Writer

Andrew Rosenzweig, one of the Hartford Police Department's top leaders, is leaving the city after about 13 months on the job.

Rosenzweig, 61, assistant chief in charge of the department's patrol and community services division, said Tuesday that he plans to move to a home that he and his wife have owned for several years in Newport, R.I.

His last day on the job will be Sept. 16.

His replacement has not been named, and Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez said Tuesday that he and Police Chief Patrick J. Harnett expect to announce later this month how they will proceed to fill or revamp the job.

Rosenzweig, who spent 15 years on the New York City police force, joined Hartford's department on Aug. 11, 2004. Many of his duties centered on working with Harnett and others to begin the department's Neighborhood Policing Plan, which went into effect last winter.

Perez said Tuesday that Rosenzweig leaves a legacy of solid police work and good will.

"He exceeded all of my expectations," Perez said. "He's a very smart, professional and ethical person who brought a lot of expertise to the city of Hartford."

Rosenzweig said Tuesday that he hopes to retire and relax, although he acknowledged with a laugh that he always has interrupted previous retirement attempts when good job opportunities have come along.

"I wouldn't say it's impossible, but it's highly unlikely that I'll take another full-time job this time," said Rosenzweig, whose wife works for a law firm in Rhode Island.

He said he has been commuting to Newport on most weekends, spending the week at the downtown Hartford condominium he purchased last fall. He said he will look back fondly on his time in Hartford, both because of his co-workers and the city itself.

"I can't say enough about how many committed people I met here in the department and throughout the community," he said. "This has been a really rich experience for me."

He said that although he is aware some people might consider one year of service to be a short commitment, he is proud of the community policing plan and other projects launched during his tenure.

He said he now intends to write, possibly pick up a consulting gig here and there, enjoy time with his wife at their home, and "reflect on a long career."

Rosenzweig started his law-enforcement career in 1966 in the New York City Police Department, working his way up to lieutenant before leaving in 1981 to start a private investigative agency.

He ran the investigations bureau of the New York County District Attorney's Office from 1985 to 1999, then was a security consultant for four years before joining the Providence Police Department in 2003 as its deputy police chief.