Elicker and Police Chief David Zannelli. “Anything for the kids,” Zannelli said. PAL camper Andrea Cruz said “it was very fun seeing them get slimed.” Officer Christian Bruckhart, left, and Assistant Police Chief Bertram Ettienne, right, after the slime. “It’s cold,” Assista nt Police Chief Bertram Ettienne said about the green slime that Police Activity League (PAL) campers had just poured over him. “When it first hits you, you’re a little shocked because it’s so cold.” He looked down at his black dress shoes, covered in bright green goo. “Then you get over it,” he said, shrugging. Ettienne was one of the top city officials to get slimed Thursday during the second annual “slime day,” hosted at the John S. Martinez School in Fair Haven. The event served as an opportunity for around 100 PAL summer campers to get to know their mayor and chief of police. Campers ranging in age from 7-11 were thrilled to pour buckets of slime over Mayor Justin Elicker, Police Chief David Zannelli, Ettienne, and Sgt. Jason Jemiola, a PAL supervisor. “It was gross and joyful,” Elicker said after the event. School Resource Officer and PAL officer Marelyn Vega also attended, and sat with a group of 7-8 year olds. Before becoming a police officer, she worked at Wilbur Cross. “Being back in school is amazing,” she said. “They’re probably going to be stained,” 10-year-old Ryleigh Nelson said of the mayor and police chief, shaking her head. She said “slime day” was “super fun.” Elicker and Zannelli, still covered in slime. Assistant Chief Manmeet Bhagtana (center) did not get “slimed,” but she watched her colleagues, laughing. In Ex-PAL Officer’s Arrest, Sentencing, “Accountability Came Through” Thursday’s PAL celebration happened to take place the day after Jeremie Elliott, a retired former New Haven police officer who previously supervised the PAL program, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of second-degree sexual assault. Elliott was arrested back in 2023 after investigators found that he had had a years-long sexual relationship with a high school student starting when she was 16, when he was her supervisor in the PAL program. She was not the only student he allegedly made inappropriate sexual advances towards, the Independent has reported. “Everything that happened, 2012 to 2014, was a very long time ago. Very disturbing,” Zannelli said on Thursday when asked about Elliott’s sentencing. “But accountability came through. It was our agency, it was Detective Boyle who investigated it and got that result,” he added, referring to Det. Christopher Boyle. “Obviously once we were aware of the allegations, at that time we moved as vigorously as we could.” “Things are very different now,” the chief said. “Events like today’s are what we’re trying to do to rebuild trust that may have been broken.” The post Mayor, Police Get Slimed appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less