New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker announced a nominee for the next permanent Chief of Police for the city.

Elicker named Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson as his nominee to lead the New Haven Police Department. He is a 15-year veteran of the department. Before working in New Haven, Jacobson worked at the East Providence Police Department for nine years.

Jacobson’s nomination to the position is subject to confirmation by the New Haven Board of Alders. Until then, Acting Police Chief Regina Rush-Kittle will continue to serve in the role temporarily until a permanent police chief is confirmed, then she will resume her responsibilities as the city’s chief administrative officer.

“To the community, I’m going to be there for you,” Jacobson said. “It doesn’t matter what time, day or night. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to be there for you. And to the officers, I’m very proud to lead this department. This is a very good department.”

The announcement comes after former interim Renee Dominguez retired from the police department on May 13.

Elicker nominated Dominguez to be permanent chief, but his nomination was rejected by the Board of Alders. The plan was to keep Dominguez in the role until a new chief was named, but a lawsuit was filed, claiming the city charter was violated by keeping her in this interim position for more than six months.

Dominguez told News 8 she decided to retire early, keeping her department in mind.

After the national search for a permanent police chief, the city narrowed it down to 15 qualified applicants. Elicker said it was Jacobson who shined above the rest, complimenting his genuineness and commitment to the community.

“While he clearly has so many of the attributes that are important for success as a police chief, the thing that I am most impressed about is example after example of his genuineness, his commitment to the community,” Elicker said. “He shows up after hours, he knows people’s names in the community, whether they are victims of gun violence, he knows the perpetrators, he knows these members of our community.”

Elicker said he’s confident the Board of Alders will approve the nomination. He said he expects them to begin the review in early June, and it may take a month for the approval process to be completed.