The West Hartford Police Department held a swearing-in ceremony for seven new officers earlier this month.

By Ronni Newton

Seven new officers joined the ranks of the West Hartford Police Department earlier this month, taking the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony held in the Town Hall auditorium with family, friends, town leaders and staff, and other department members in attendance.

Town Manager Rick Ledwith welcomed the new officers – Kyle Cogliati, Morgan Velez, Tyree Burns, Amber Prose, Haley Lespier, Jacob Smith, and Graciela Ross – a diverse group that includes four women and three who are already certified and are joining the West Hartford Police Department from other agencies.

“Today we witness the commitment these individuals have made to serve and protect our community with integrity, courage, and dedication,” Ledwith said. He thanked their families as well as existing department members, for their support and encouragement of the new officers.

“Congratulations. You have chosen to serve in one of the most honorable professions there is, for a town that deeply values the role our police department plays in protecting us all,” Ledwith told the new officers, asking them to remember the trust that the community will place in them, and adding that he looks forward to seeing them thrive in the years ahead.

Chief Vernon Riddick praised the town’s strong support for the police department in various ways, including the positive impact the new contract that was ratified and unanimously approved by the Town Council this summer has in attracting new officers, including those who are already certified and experienced with other agencies.

He thanked the new officers for choosing West Hartford, and said they will be making a difference in this community. “You’re coming to a really great place,” he said, and he also provided some insightful advice.

“You might find yourself in a situation of providing protection to someone you don’t know, and sometimes somebody you don’t like. It doesn’t matter. That’s our job,” Riddick said. “We go in, we protect those who can’t protect ourselves.” And, he said, the new officers will have the opportunity to greatly impact peoples’ lives.

He added that as the new officers learn to walk that fine line, other department members are always there to provide support.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Riddick said to the new officers.

Assistant Chief Larry Terra shared biographies of each new officer as they lined up in front of the room.

Ofc. Kyle Cogliati is one of the three already-certified officers, joining the West Hartford Police Department from the New Haven Police Department. He’s originally from New Britain, was raised in Bristol, and is a 2015 graduate of E.C. Goodwin Technical High School for Manufacturing Technology. He continued his education at Central Connecticut State University, and after working in the engineering field decided he did not want to work in an office and began to pursue law enforcement.

In 2021 he was hired by New Haven Police where he attended numerous advanced training courses and worked alongside state and federal agencies. Terra said that Cogliati was looking to take his training and experience “closer to his home community.”

Ofc. Morgan Velez is also a certified officer, joining West Hartford Police from the Eastern Connecticut State University Police Department. She is a native of Wolcott, CT, a 2015 graduate of Wolcott High School, and a 2019 graduate of Southern Connecticut State University with a degree in sociology, a concentration in criminal justice, and a minor in forensic science.

Velez completed various advanced training courses during her time with the Eastern Police, and also assisted with educational and community events such as Special Olympics.

Ofc. Tyree Burns is a native of New Britain and a 2015 graduate of New Britain High School. After high school, he played baseball for Glendale College in California, transferred to Division I University of Rhode Island, and finished his career as a student-athlete at Post University with a bachelor’s degree in biology.

After working in the nursing field at St. Francis Hospital, Burns is looking forward to this opportunity with the West Hartford Police Department, Terra said.

Ofc. Amber Prose is a certified officer who spent the past four years with the Willimantic (Connecticut) Police Department after several years as a reserve officer in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. She is originally from Ohio but grew up in Connecticut before earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Norwich University, a military college in Vermont, where she also participated in the Corps of Cadets and Army ROTC program.

Prose is also certified as an accident reconstructionist, was a member of the SWAT team, and has been awarded two lifesaving medals, a department merit award, and a distinguished service medal. She also recently earned a masters in forensic psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, writing her master’s dissertation on “undiagnosed PTSD in police officers.”

Ofc. Haley Lespier is from Meriden and a 2021 graduate of Maloney High School. She earned an associate’s degree in social work at Manchester Community College and is currently completing her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in criminology at Southern Connecticut State University.

Lespier has been a police cadet in Meriden, and participated in an internship program in preparation for her career in law enforcement.

Ofc. Jacob Smith grew up in Glastonbury, graduating from Glastonbury High School in 2020. In high school, he was a three-season athlete and earned multiple all-conference and all-state honors. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in business administration from Gordon College in Massachusetts in the spring, and began a master’s degree program at the University of New Haven in criminal investigation to further his education and acquire law enforcement experience, Terra said.

Smith attended the West Hartford Police Department’s “Behind the Badge” College Academy, and was named class sergeant and received the Lt. Dustin DeMonte Award “for exemplifying the traits of Devotion, Affection, Relentlessness, and setting a good example for his classmates in the College Academy.”

Ofc. Graciela Ross is from Bolton, CT, and earned her bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at Central Connecticut State University.

She fostered her passion for serving and connecting with the community while working as a personal trainer at Edge Fitness in West Hartford, and decided to pursue a new career as a police officer, Terra said.

Ledwith administered the oath of office to all seven at the ceremony, and the officers were pinned with their new badges by Riddick.

The three already-certified officers will participate immediately in the department’s Field Officer Training Program before receiving their assignments, and the four who are not yet certified will first attend the Police Academy before entering the department’s training program.

Sgt. Joseph Hopkins served as emcee of the ceremony, and Pastor Eric Peoples offered an invocation.

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