Police Commission Updates Decade-Old Firearms Policy

The New Haven Police Department (NHPD) is transitioning to exclusively using pistols equipped with red-dot optics, under a general order approved by the Board of Police Commissioners at their monthly meeting on Tuesday. The new general order — which replaces the last firearms general order passed in 2016 — comes several months after the department purchased and began issuing new Glock 45 pistols to officers. Once the newly approved general order is signed by Police Chief David Zannelli, it will officially make the new firearm — equipped with a pistol-mounted optics — standard for all full-time personnel. “The policy is reflecting the new equipment and some small changes, but the substance of it is the same,” NHPD spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart wrote in an email, comparing the 2026 and 2016 policies. “It’s analogous to the department switching from Dodge Chargers to Durangos.

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