Town Swears in Four New Canaan Police Officers

Officials on Thursday swore in four new officers of the New Canaan Police Department during a well-attended ceremony at Town Hall.

Selected from a field of 50 applicants for entry-level police officer positions, Emily Clark, Erin McCarthy, Joseph Schinella and Giancarlo Vincenzi were selected to attend the State of Connecticut Police Academy next month and then begin field training in New Canaan in January, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said.

“Today is a very special day that began months ago,” he said during the ceremony, held in a board room at Town Hall.

“Many challenges and changes lie ahead for our department and our profession but with individuals like Erin, Emily, Joseph, and Giancarlo joining our ranks, I see great success as we fulfill our mission to protect and serve the town of New Canaan,” the chief said.

Town Clerk Claudia Weber swore them in.

Among the more than 40 people in attendance were family and friends of the new officers, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan, Police Commissioners Sperry DeCew and Jim McLaughlin, New Canaan Human Resources Director Cheryl Pickering-Jones, and a number of NCPD members, including Capt. Andrew Walsh, Sgt. Joseph Farenga and Sgt. Brian Mitchell and Officers Louis Gannon, Thomas Patten and Scott Romano.

In joining NCPD at a time where Lt. Carol Ogrinc and Officers Kelly Coughlin and Nicole Vartuli are already in place, and Officer Annamaria Ceci is slated to graduate from the Academy next month, the additions of Clark and McCarthy will bring the department to its highest contingent of female officers in history, Krolikowski said.

Mitchell, who helps with recruitment, training and selection of new officers, called it an “exceptionally rare day” when NCPD adds four new officers at one time. Candidates must pass written exam and physical agility tests, followed by tests that gauge their intellect as well as character and integrity, Mitchell said, and then undergo more than 800 hours of state-mandated curriculum at the Academy.

Krolikowski said three times during the ceremony that he expects the candidates to finish 1-2-3-4 in their class, drawing laughter from the room. Here’s a summary of their backgrounds:

• Clark, 23, is from Newtown, and was most recently employed by the Newtown and Easton Police Departments as a Public Safety Dispatcher. She graduated from Newtown High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Post University. 
• McCarthy, 21, is from Stratford. She graduated from Trumbull High School and then earned a bachelor’s degree in equine business management from Delaware Valley University. Her father, who was in attendance, is a retired Woodbridge police officer and currently an officer with the Stratford Police Department, Krolikowski said.
• Schinella, 22, is from Stamford. He graduated from Stamford High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fairfield University.
• Vincenzi, 25, most recently employed as a senior life coach at Abilis, is from Trumbull and graduated from Trumbull High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Central Connecticut State University. 

They received badges from Krolikowski as well as five mini pin-on badges—replicas of the originals—to be given to support networks of family and friends, the chief said.

“The public willingly puts this work into your hands, and they trust that you will take care of them in the proper manner,” he said. “They do not want this responsibility for themselves; they want to give it to you. But, they also want you to get it right.”

The chief continued, “My charge to you today is to do just that—get it right. We all have heard and read about the stories of officers who have gotten it wrong, Sadly we rarely hear the overwhelmingly positive stories of officers who get it right every day. Remember that not everyone will automatically understand what you are doing as a peace officer or why you make certain decisions. Realize that there will be times when your actions will be the biggest and most important thing that ever has happened in someone’s life. My final charge to you is to protect your credibility, our department’s credibility and maintain your honor.”