West Haven police commission chair resigns

WEST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Ray Collins is stepping away from his role as chair of the West Haven Board of Police Commissioners. He served as a commissioner for 14 years.

Collins told News 8 that this decision was months in the making.

“I had already made the choice to resign from the Police Commission at the end of the summer to focus on my campaign,” Collins said in a statement. He’s running for State Representative, hoping to serve West Haven, Orange and Milford.

Speaking with us on Friday, Collins said his resignation is unrelated to his actions in the West Haven Police Department’s lock-up area. An image taken from a video shows Collins interacting with a suspect in custody. We’ve learned that the suspect was 41-year-old Romney Desronvil, the father accused of trying to drown his young twins at a West Haven beach .

“I told him that as a grandfather of 5, including 2 who were the same age as the victims, that I hope he rots in hell for all of eternity,” Collins’ statement read in part. “I do understand that it was inappropriate for me to speak to him from the hallway outside of the jail cell.”

He also called the suspect’s alleged actions “abhorrent and unimaginable.”

Collins praised the response by West Haven police and firefighters, who jumped into action and saved the lives of Giovanni and Gianna. The twins received care at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, where they celebrated their third birthday before being released and returning home to New York.

As for this incident, West Haven police released a statement:

“The West Haven Police Department was aware of the incident that took place on June 22, 2024 where Commissioner Collins spoke with an arrestee in our custody. We immediately addressed this incident internally and we have no further comment on this matter.”

West Haven’s Mayor, Dorinda Borer, also shared a statement with News 8.

“Upon learning of this incident, I met with Commissioner Collins and he has tendered his resignation. I believe this is the best course of action in order for the Department and City to continue to move forward.”

Collins ended by saying, “Serving on the Commission for 14 years has been one of my proudest endeavors and I look forward to supporting the men and women of law enforcement from the State Capitol in Hartford.”

Collins said he’ll continue in his role until Aug 1.

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