Regina Rush-Kittle

Last updated
Regina Rush-Kittle
Born
Regina Rush

(1961-01-02) January 2, 1961 (age 62)
Alma mater University of Connecticut (BA)
Western New England College (MS)
Occupation(s) Law enforcement
Military service
Public administration
Employer(s) Connecticut State Police
US Army Reserve
Known forTrailblazer for African American women in law enforcement
Awards Bronze Star Medal

Regina Rush-Kittle (born January 2, 1961) is an American law enforcement officer, soldier, and public administrator. She has held trailblazing leadership roles in the Connecticut State Police, the US Army Reserve, and the Connecticut State Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. [1] She was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame in 2017. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Rush-Kittle was born in Baltimore on January 2, 1961, and moved with her family to Middletown, Connecticut, in 1968. She graduated Middletown High School in 1979 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Connecticut in 1983. [2] As a junior in college, she enlisted in the US Marine Corps Reserve, serving for three years. [3]

Law enforcement career

Post-college, Rush-Kittle worked as a corrections officer at the York Correctional Institution for two years and joined the Middletown Police Department as its first African American female patrol officer in 1985. She attended the state police academy in 1987 and joined the state police. She rose through the ranks to become the first African American woman to serve as sergeant (1996), lieutenant (2004), or major (2011) in the Connecticut State Police. She was also first woman to command a Connecticut State Police barracks (2004) and the first woman to serve as commandant of the Connecticut State Police Training Academy (2011). She commanded the Bureau of Professional Standards and Compliance and in April 2015 was named commandant of the central district headquarters, one of three statewide. She retired in August 2015 after 30 years of state service. She went on to serve as deputy chief of the police department in Millbury, Massachusetts, until February 2017. [2] [1] [4] [5]

She earned a master's degree in criminal justice administration from Western New England College in 1997 and graduated from the FBI National Academy in 2011. [2] In 2019, she received an honorary doctorate in criminal justice from the University of New Haven, where she delivered the keynote address at commencement. [6]

She is a past president of the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers. [1]

Military career

After serving three years in the Marine Corps Reserve, Rush-Kittle transferred to the US Army Reserves in 1985 and became a drill sergeant. Given her law enforcement career, she sought to enlist in the Military Police Corps but was rejected because at 5'2, she failed the height requirement by two inches. [2]

She deployed to Kuwait for one year in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Her unit handled logistics, distributing medical supplies and equipment. In 2009, she served a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan as a part of an all-female command team and received the Bronze Star Medal. [3]

From May 2009 to August 2010, Rush-Kittle served as Command Sergeant Major (the US Army's highest enlisted rank) of the 321st Military Intelligence Battalion, currently based in Arizona. She retired from the military in March 2012 after completing 30 years of military service. [1]

Public administration

From January 2019 to December 2021, Rush-Kittle served as deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, part of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. [2] She was appointed to the office by Governor Ned Lamont. [7] In November 2021, Mayor Justin Elicker appointed Rush-Kittle to be chief administrative officer of New Haven, Connecticut, overseeing two-thirds of the city's public employees. [8]

Personal life

She married William Kittle in 1997. They met while both were serving in the Army Reserves. Kittle began his first day of state police academy training on the day of their wedding. He is a state police master sergeant and retired Connecticut Army National Guard first sergeant. The couple has two adult children, Jorrell and Gianna. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska State Troopers</span> State police agency of the U.S. state of Alaska

The Alaska State Troopers, officially the Division of Alaska State Troopers (AST), is the state police agency of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a division of the Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS). The AST is a full-service law enforcement agency which handles both traffic and criminal law enforcement. The AST is also involved in apprehending fugitives as part of the Alaska Fugitive Task Force, an inter-agency collaborative of Alaska police departments that cooperates with police agencies throughout the United States, and less commonly with Interpol in apprehending wanted men and women. Unlike many lower-48 states, the AST also serves as Alaska’s primary environmental law enforcement agency; troopers assigned to the AST’s Division of Alaska Wildlife Troopers are known as “Alaska Wildlife Troopers” and primarily serve as game wardens, although they retain the same powers as other Alaskan state troopers.

The Star of the Commander of Valour is a medal awarded by the Malaysian government. The award was established on 29 July 1960, and it was formally gazetted by an act of parliament on 11 August 1960. It is Malaysia's second highest gallantry award, coming in second only to the Grand Knight of Valour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut Military Department</span> Component of the US National Guard of the state of Connecticut

The Connecticut Military Department is a state agency of the government of Connecticut. Its primary components are the Connecticut Army National Guard, the Connecticut Air National Guard, and four companies of the state militia. The Military Department of the State of Connecticut traces its origins to May 11, 1637, when the "General Courts" established a military arm of the provincial government. In 1939, the State's Military Department was established to consolidate the offices of Adjutant General, Quartermaster General, Armory Board, and Armory Board Inspector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Haven</span>

George Haven, born in New London, Connecticut, on March 27, 1844, was the thirtieth Adjutant General of the State of Connecticut. He was the son of Urbane and Sarah (Rogers) Haven. Both were members of old Connecticut families. Haven acquired his education early in public schools of New Haven. He loved books, but with the rumors of war he joined the National Guard at the age of 17. After being discharged on November 19, 1864, Haven returned home to New London and worked for the Wilson Manufacturing Company, with which he was connected for 18 years. He left the employ of the Wilson Company at around 1886, and the next year went to work for the Quinnipiac Company. In 1888 he was appointed Chief of police of New London. Haven served at the City of New London for six years as Alderman and Councilman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arlington County Police Department</span> Police department in Virginia, U.S.

The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency servicing the 238,643 residents of the 26 square miles (67 km2) of jurisdiction within Arlington County, Virginia. It is the primary law enforcement agency in the county for all levels of law enforcement, although the many federal reservations, enclaves and special jurisdictions in the county often maintain their own law enforcement agencies, which often collaborate with the County Police on many of their larger issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of the Army Civilian Police</span>

The Department of the Army Civilian Police (DACP) are the civilian federal law enforcement bodies of the Department of the Army of the United States of America. There is no centralized DACP agency, with all civilian law enforcement agencies of the Army falling under the “DACP” title. The DACP are controlled jointly by the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense and as such, they are commonly referred to as DoD Police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Moe</span> Premier of Saskatchewan since 2018

Scott Moe is a Canadian politician serving as the 15th and current premier of Saskatchewan since February 2, 2018. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for the riding of Rosthern-Shellbrook, first elected in 2011. He served in the Saskatchewan Party cabinet from 2014 to 2017 under the premiership of Brad Wall, twice as minister of environment and also as minister of advanced education. In January 2018 he was chosen to succeed Wall as leader of the Saskatchewan Party. He led the Saskatchewan Party to a fourth consecutive majority mandate in the 2020 provincial election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Rainwater</span> American politician

Paul W. Rainwater is an American former local and state government official from Louisiana who served as an aide to Governor Bobby Jindal and played a prominent role in Louisiana during its recovery from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike and the recovery of the state from the 2010 British Petroleum Oil Spill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William J. Walker</span> United States House of Representatives Sergeant at Arms

William J. Walker is a retired United States Army major general and former Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the 38th House Sergeant at Arms and the first African-American to hold the office. He last served as the 23rd Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard. This responsibility includes command of the District of Columbia Army and Air National Guard units. Walker previously served in the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Special Agent and was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in January 2003, with his final assignment being Deputy Assistant Administrator in Charge of the Office of Strategic Warning Intelligence. Walker is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irene M. Zoppi</span> Brigadier General, United States Army Reservist

Irene M. Zoppi Rodríguez, is a U.S. Army officer and academic. She is the first Puerto Rican woman to attain the rank of general in the U.S. Army Reserve. Since February 2019, she has served as a deputy commanding general for United States Army South, as the director of the Army Reserve Engagement Cell for Individual Mobilization Augmentees. Zoppi is an adjunct professor at Strayer University. She has worked as an instructor for the National Intelligence University where she directed the university's academic center within the National Security Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regina Goodwin</span> American politician

Regina Goodwin is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 73rd district since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murder of Vanessa Guillén</span> 2020 murder of a U.S. army soldier

The murder of Vanessa Guillén, a 20-year-old United States Army soldier, took place inside an armory at Fort Hood, Texas, on April 22, 2020, when she was bludgeoned to death by another soldier, Aaron David Robinson. Guillén had been missing for over two months when some of her dismembered remains were found buried along the Leon River on June 30. Upon hearing about the discovery, Robinson fled Fort Hood and fatally shot himself when law enforcement attempted to apprehend him in nearby Killeen, Texas.

İpek Er was an 18-year-old Kurdish student from Batman who died on 18 August 2020 following a suicide attempt on 16 July. She claimed that she had been drugged and raped by Musa Orhan, a specialized sergeant in the Turkish army and that he had done so before and that she could complain, but he would not be harmed by it. Questioned by the authorities, he initially denied any wrongdoing, but after a forensic investigation he alleged that he had been intoxicated. Text messages in which he claimed to have raped Er repeatedly were circulated on social media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rollin Williams</span> American educator

Rollin Charles Williams was an American educator who served as Professor of Social Work at the University of Connecticut from 1957 to 1985. A World War II veteran, Williams was the university's first African American professor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willis Nichols Hawley</span> American soldier

Willis Nichols Hawley was an American soldier who died of typhoid fever during the Spanish–American War. Hawley was the first student or alumnus of the University of Connecticut to die while on active duty during wartime. The Willis Nichols Hawley Armory on the university's campus in Storrs was named in his honor.

This is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauline R. Kezer</span> American politician

Pauline Ryder Kezer is an American politician who served as Secretary of the State of Connecticut from 1991 to 1995. She previously served in the Connecticut General Assembly. Since August 2014 she has served as president of the Alden Kindred of America, which owns and operates the John and Priscilla Alden Family Sites.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Bannister, Valerie (2015-05-27). "Major Regina Rush-Kittle named commanding officer of Central District Headquarters". The Middletown Press. Retrieved 2022-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Regina Rush-Kittle". CT Women’s Hall of Fame. 2017. Retrieved 2022-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. 1 2 Bergman, Julia (2019-11-20). "Rush-Kittle honored at military appreciation luncheon". The Day . Retrieved 2022-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. Lambert, Ben (2021-11-10). "5 things to know about New Haven CAO nominee Regina Rush-Kittle". New Haven Register. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  5. "Deputy Commissioner Bio: Regina Rush-Kittle". Connecticut State Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. 2021-11-10. Archived from the original on 2021-11-11. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  6. "Trailblazing Law Enforcement and Military Leader Tells Grads: 'You Are Capable of Making Change Happen'". University of New Haven. 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2022-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Krasselt, Kaitlyn (2018-12-29). "Lamont hires retired Hartford police chief to head public safety". AP News. Retrieved 2022-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. "Making History: Renee Dominguez Named New Haven's First Permanent Woman Police Chief". NBC Connecticut. 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2022-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)