‘A True Team Effort’: Letters of Appreciation for New Canaan Police Officers

The following letters of appreciation for New Canaan Police Department officers were made public during the Oct. 17 meeting of the Police Commission, by Chief Leon Krolikowski. ***

Officers Shane Gibson, Chris Dewey, Will Sheehan, Nicole Vartuli and Robert Rizzitelli

“On Tuesday Oct. 02, 2018, the National Weather Service confirmed that an EF1 Tornado touched down in New Canaan and last from 1729 to 1941 hours. The tornado brought winds reaching speeds of 100 mph.

‘She Even Had a Bottle of Water for Me’: Letters of Appreciation for New Canaan Police

Police Chief Leon Krolikowski on Wednesday night spotlighted some of the outstanding work of the department’s officers. During the Police Commission’s regular meeting, he cited a series of letters of appreciation from the community. 

“I think it’s important to better recognize the good work of our officers which we do not do often enough,” Krolikowski said at the meeting, held in the New Canaan Police Department. 

He added: “I’m sure myself and on behalf of the Commission, we should extend our thanks to all of our officers for the work that they do. We are about to enter into budget season when we are talking about statistics and numbers and costs and some things are difficult to measure, and these letters that we get are the kinds of things we should be highlighting.”

Here are excerpts:

Officer Roy Adams

“I am writing to express my wife’s and my own thanks and gratitude to your Department and especially to your officer Adams … On July 18th at around 7:30 a.m. my wife fell in our apartment at The Inn where we reside. While unhurt, she was unable to get up on her own even with my insufficient strength to help (we are 92 and 94 years old)—911 was called. Officer Adams showed up first, took in and evaluated the situation.

Robert Rizzitelli Sworn In as New Canaan Police Officer

Robert Rizzitelli, a 25-year-old Monroe man now on track to become the newest member of the New Canaan Police Department, was born into a family of law enforcement. The Bridgeport native’s father is a detective sergeant with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, his grandfather and uncle both served with Bridgeport Police Department and one of his cousins is with Trumbull Police Department, according to New Canaan Police Sgt. Brian Mitchell, the department’s training sergeant. “His heritage has instilled in him the morals and values that are integral to this profession,” Mitchell said on Wednesday morning from the front of a room in Lapham Community Center for Rizzitelli’s swearing-in ceremony. About 30 town officials, police, media members, friends and family attended the ceremony, including First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, Selectman Kit Devereaux and Town Clerk Claudia Weber, who administered the Oath of Office.

25-Year-Old Monroe Man To Join New Canaan Police as Newest Officer

The New Canaan Police Department announced Wednesday that a 25-year-old Monroe man is poised to become the newest member of the force. Robert Rizzitelli, most recently employed at a Trumbull-based company that provides in-house physician recruitment and HR services for healthcare organizations, was chosen from among 79 candidates who applied for the entry-level police officer job in New Canaan, according to a press release. A Masuk High School graduate, Rizzitelli attended the University of Connecticut and Pace University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English. Prior to joining MedPath as a clinical recruiter, he played one season of professional baseball for the White Sands Pupfish of the independent Pecos League, in Alamogordo, N.M.

He’s single. “Robert successfully endured an intensive testing and selection process including a written examination, physical agility testing, interview panel, polygraph, psychological evaluation, background investigation, medical testing, and Police Commission interview,” the press release said.