Sgt. John Jarvie, WHPD
It was just after midnight, and the police officers assigned to the 12-8 shift were gathered for their customary briefing when an emergency call came in on the radio from another officer: “I’m at the corner of Washington Avenue and Atwater Street; there’s a large, naked man walking up the street smashing the windshields of cars, and he appears to be bleeding. Need backup right away! He just ripped the grille off the patrol car!” Four cars went out to assist, and found the man, covered with sweat and blood, and apparently high on some sort of drugs.
The subject then lit out and led them on a chase through the neighborhood’s backyards, and was finally tackled. Four officers struggled in vain to apply hand cuffs to the subject, and as they worked their way through the various methods routinely prescribed for subduing such an individual, it became necessary to apply a taser which would be sure to incapacitate him.
But after firing the taser three times, the subject still would not submit himself for arrest. (It was later determined that he was high on PCP–also known as Angel Dust–which often renders super-human strength and psychotic behavior to the user.) The dangerous situation still wasn’t under control, and Sergeant John Jarvie reached for his holster, hoping that he wouldn’t have to draw his weapon. Just at that moment, the other officers managed to secure the hand cuffs; the subject was taken away for medical care and booking.
On another memorable night, Jarvie was called out to a home on Highland Street, where a woman was in labor. He was unprepared for what he would find when he arrived there: Standing in the middle of the room and straddling a mattress, the woman was indeed in labor, and the baby’s head was already presented. As Jarvie got within arm’s length of mother and baby, the baby popped out and he caught it. But the baby wasn’t breathing: Remembering his rudimentary first aid training, Jarvie reached into the baby’s mouth, cleared the airway, and was relieved to hear the baby’s first cries. Moments later, Fire Department EMTs arrived and took over. For weeks and months thereafter, Jarvie would be kidded about the need to carry a catcher’s mitt when he was on the job.
But the euphoria of that night was soon tempered by the department’s next call, reporting that a man had been found bludgeoned to death just a few blocks away from the place of the newborn’s birth.
Jarvie’s years of service brought with them many rewarding moments, and some moments of terror: Running into a burning building numerous times to help elderly residents to safety from the smoke and flames; knocking on an apartment door and announcing himself, and hearing someone on the other side of the door working the loading action of an automatic handgun; chasing felons through darkened yards, not knowing whether they were armed with knives or firearms, and wondering if they’d fight back.
“I was lucky,” says Jarvie with a smile, “I was never shot or injured, but I was lumped-up a couple of times.”
And there were the quieter moments: Removing drunk drivers from the road, lifting fingerprints at a crime scene, administering bicycle safety efforts for children, recreating the scenes of major—often fatal—accidents, educating senior citizens against fraud and scams, arranging Block Watches, training citizens in basic self-defense, and so much more.
John Jarvie’s scrapbook contains countless letters from grateful citizens, some calling him a “Friend for Life.” Today, he is retired, and still living in West Haven, with his wife Mary, and with his children and grandchild not far away.
John Jarvie typifies the police officers of West Haven: Dedicated, Professional, Caring and Kind. Looking back at his years of service, he recalls all of the many changes within the city and in the ways that police are now equipped to do their jobs.
“It’s just amazing,” he says.