CARLOS CONCEIÇÃO – FROM LISBON
In New Haven, CT one of the sergeants in the Police Department is Portuguese.
In New Haven, the second-largest city in the State of Connecticut, with an urban area of more than 800 thousand people, one of the sergeants in the police department is Portuguese, born in Lisbon. Carlos Conceição, who was previously a detective and is part of the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (SWAT), became an officer at 28, switching gears from an electrician career to maintaining law and order. “In fact, I had never thought of following this path,” Carlos Conceição told the LUSO-AMERICANO newspaper in an exclusive interview.
“It was the influence of a friend of mine, Ilídio Pereira, who is also Portuguese and works as a police officer in Bridgeport, that I ended up considering this career. I used to hear the stories about how the police fought daily against crime, making our cities safer. Later, I realized that I would also gain professional stability and access to several benefits.”
It appears that the choice to follow his second career was right. Since 2008, the Portuguese policeman has seen his career continually grow. He started patrolling a problematic New Haven neighborhood; he worked undercover at a drug-fighting unit; in 2012, he joined the select SWAT elite group; he was part of disarming operations to take weapons out of the streets; he was responsible for the development of cadets recently graduated from the academy; he collaborated with the “State Police” in actions fighting the sales of narcotics; he worked as a detective; and two years ago, he became a sergeant, coordinating the police officers that patrol New Haven.
Carlos Fernando Faria da Conceição was born on June 6, 1980, in Lisbon (he is “alfacinha”). his mother, Maria Fernandes, lives in Portugal, and hisfather, João da Conceição, in Connecticut. Carlos was ten years old when the family migrated to Bridgeport, in 1990, where he would finish his education and attend an electrician course at a local school. He had worked as an electrician for 10 years when he was 28 and joined the police.
“We live during times that are complicated for police officers,” states the sergeant. “When I talk to my officers, I always ask them to come to work with a positive attitude and an open mind, so we can all get back to our families safe and sound at the end of the day. That’s what matters the most.”
The New Haven police forces consists of about 400 officers. The crime rates in the area “do not make our work easy, but despite all its problems, New Haven is a beautiful city with a lot of potential,” highlights the sergeant, who is married to a detective from the same department, Elizabeth White, mother of their two children. “I am very proud to be an officer in New Haven, and I embrace this task with all its responsibilities. It is very rewarding for me to know that I have been helping my community where I can, from children to residents of all ages.”
These days, working in a uniform is no easy task. The sergeant calls out the press, stating it contributes to a somewhat negative image of the police for the public. “We are not robots. Sometimes, we must make decisions in a matter of seconds. We, too, have families, and we want to provide them with a safe and prosperous life. Deep inside, we are all together in this.”
Regarding the blood running in his veins, he says, categorically: “I am very proud to be Portuguese and to be an immigrant. Everyone in the New Haven Police Department building knows that. When people need to look for me at the Police Department,
Emotions run high when visiting Portugal (four visits with his American wife already). “When the airplane gets close to the homeland, I see the coastal line from Caparica to Sesimbra, my eyes get teary,” he reveals. Except for my children, there is nothing in life that makes me prouder.”
