Conditions are auspicious for a fresh vision in policing for the city of New London.

Chief Brian Wright, who had already served the department for 27 years when he became the top cop in July, understands both the city and the overall issues for policing in Connecticut and beyond. He says he believes in transparency and collaboration, which bodes well.

A referendum Aug. 10 attracted slightly more than 10 percent of New London voters, but the majority of those voted to uphold a minimum staffing ordinance that calls for 80 officers. That cannot help but boost the morale of the 70-plus sworn officers currently in the department.

Police union leadership will get a refresh after top officers stepped down, leaving the new guard to define the way the union will work with the new management.

The police chief says he is in discussions with the superintendent of schools and the Board of Education for greater interaction between officers and the student body than the standard police presence that students and parents have objected to. Not only that, the city's first Black chief and former DARE officer plans to consult with young people about what kind of programs could be geared to their needs, such as possible academic credit or an Explorer program.

On the complex question of responding to certain emergency calls with social workers or mental health professionals instead of police officers, he endorses the possibility of those professionals being even more involved in policing than they have been in New London, and in extending crisis intervention training to all members of the department.

And, as one of the state's urban police chiefs — albeit in one of Connecticut's smallest cities — he is well-positioned to give expert opinion on calls for changing the way law enforcement and the courts deal with accused teenage offenders. Republicans in the state legislature are calling for a special session to deal with an increase in juvenile crime, notably suburban automobile thefts. Lawmakers will need to hear not only from the victims of the thefts and ancillary crimes but from the voice of experience, which may draw distinctions according to severity of crimes and repeat offenses.

These factors are in play as a new use-of-force training program to be required for all officers in Connecticut will emphasize "moral courage," empathy and de-escalation, says the Associated Press.

Chief Wright met last week with The Day Editorial Board, a day before before the referendum vote. Asked what he would do with more officers, he said he'd like to "add a little science" to the structure of policing with special units for domestic violence, youth and community wellness and "swing shifts" for better coverage.

For sure, he — and the city council, which had voted 6 to 1 to repeal the 80-officer minimum — will encounter questions around the issue of "defunding the police." The term arose from reaction to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis officer and other deaths at the hands of law enforcement. Yet people's understanding of the term ranges from abolishing a department to New London's budgeting of two mental health professional positions to answer certain 911 calls.

Wright said discussion of those positions has not reached the planning stage, but ride-alongs by social workers are "nothing but beneficial" in defusing situations. He is not ready to send them out without officers, noting that the call first needs to be "triaged" on the scene, rather than possibly sending non-officers into harm's way.

New London, which was the first in New England to give its police officers crisis intervention training, is at a moment when the best instincts of both sides of the defunding debate should be looking for common ground. All agree that community policing and neighborhood relations should be a priority, and with this chief's concrete plans for transparency and collaboration, there's no reason to wait.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.