The Yale Police Department welcomes new officer Gregg Curran

The Yale Police Department (YPD) recently added three new officers to their force: Gregg Curran, Angelo DeLieto, and Karl Rodriguez-Perez. All three are experienced officers who came to Yale from other area police departments. Please join us in welcoming them to Yale.

We met with Officer Gregg Curran to discuss his career, his return to Yale, and how he helps bring teenagers with cancer some joy.

Officer Gregg Curran grew up in Cheshire, Connecticut, and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst for one year after high school. He then joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he held the rank of sergeant. While serving his country, he was stationed at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and the Marine Corps Air Station at Kaneohe Bay in Oahu, Hawaii. Gregg was deployed to the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia, and over four years, he toured 14 countries during peacetime.

After serving in the Marine Corps for four years, he joined the Yale Police Department (YPD), attended the Connecticut Police Academy, and was a Yale Police Officer for five years. Gregg left the YPD for the Hamden Police Department where he spent 15 years as  part of their community engagement unit, traffic division, and hostage negotiation team. Now back at Yale, he looks forward to making a difference and being a significant part of the Yale and New Haven communities.

What made you decide to come back to Yale?

Chief Higgins has made many positive changes during his tenure. There is much more community engagement with the Yale and New Haven communities. Over the years, I remained friends with many of the people I worked with at the YPD, and they would talk about how the department was evolving. I’d also bump into the Chief, who talked about the direction the department was taking. I was intrigued. When I retired from the Hamden force, it made sense to return to Yale. The difference now is I see more opportunities combined with my experience and training.

Talk a bit about your experience so far.

It’s strange how things worked out for me over the years and to come full circle. Some officers I worked with years ago are still here, which is excellent. The campus has changed with the addition of the two new colleges, the Yale Health, School of Management, and Yale Science buildings. It’s been built up and many other buildings upgraded. Also, it’s nice walking around the campus, getting to know the community, and reminiscing with officers and staff I worked with years ago. Everyone at the YPD and members of the Yale community have been very welcoming.

Fun fact about yourself.

I’ve been a volunteer with Camp Rising Sun for many years. This is a summer outdoor camp for kids ages five to 18 who have or had cancer. My niece got me involved years ago, and I’m now the head counselor for the high school-aged boys. It’s been a tremendous experience. Understanding what these kids have been through helped me realize many other problems are few and small. Spending time with them has put a lot of things in perspective for me.

Officer Gregg Curran