On May 3, 2026, what would have been Eli’s 19th birthday, Elijah’s family joined leaders from the community at the Hamden Police Department to cut the ribbon on a transformative new healing space for Hamden: The new Comfort & Care Room at the Hamden Police Department
Currently when victims, witnesses, or the general public are interviewed by an officer at the Hamden Police Department they are brought into an interrogation, or interview, room which features a table, four chairs, and a generally uncomfortable atmosphere. The walls are cold white brick, and the chairs are definitely not the most comfortable for conversations which could last hours.
For community members experiencing hardship, violence, or possibly the worst days of their lives, the experience is being transformed by creating one of the two interview rooms into a new space designed to mimic a living room atmosphere. Sitting in comfortable chairs, with calming aromatherapy and a sound machine, people will be able to share their stories with officers in a much more healing environment.
The newly opened Comfort and Care Room at Hamden Police Department.
This is what the current interview/interrogation room looks like at the Hamden Police Department and is a mirror image of what the Comfort and Care Room looked like previously. These two rooms are side-by-side, so officers are able to determine which environment is most appropriate for the type of conversations they need to have with the public.
The room, which was freshly painted in a relaxing juniper green shade, includes children’s activity books donated by the Quinnipiac School of Nursing Community Engagement Program so that parents can work with officers while their children have coloring books and other items to keep them busy during longer interviews.
In addition to the ribbon cutting, EGH President Crystal Zukauskas was joined by Hamden Mayor Adam Sendroff, Police Chief Reynolds, and Hamden Police Social Worker Jessica Rizzo to talk to attendees about why innovative healing spaces like this matter for the community.
“It is vital for the residents of Hamden to have a soft place to land when visiting our Police Department during one of their most difficult days,” Hamden police social worker Jessica Rizzo said. “Our officers and I are very grateful to have this space as a tool to compassionately respond to our community’s needs in a way that supports their healing journey.”
To thank Jessica Rizzo for her partnership in this collaborative project, EGH awarded Jessica our Difference Maker award and expressed gratitude for working with EGH to come up with creative ways to help our community heal from violence and other painful events which leave scarring impacts on our lives.
Adding to the celebration, we kicked off our annual distribution of Eli’s Cleats sending four donations up to Ella Grasso Technical High School with Elijah’s brothers Ramel Williams and Iyende Gomez.
Eli’s Cleats is a youth violence prevention program which donates gift cards to student-athletes so they can afford the gear they need to play school sports; helping students stay on the field engaged with healthy role models, focused on good grades in school, and keeping them off the streets. EGH currently has four schools enrolled in the Eli’s Cleats program supporting 16 student-athletes annually. As a former Hamden High football student, Eli’s Cleats has been a special way for us to keep Eli’s name in the locker room for future generations of students to know his story and learn about our mission.
