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West Hartford Police Department Hires Six New Officers

Town Clerk Essie Labrot swears in new West Hartford Police Department officer recruits Tianna Jackson (left) and Meghan Begley. Courtesy photo

Two of the West Hartford Police Department’s new recruits are already attending the Connecticut Police Academy.

By Ronni Newton

Some new faces will soon be seen around town wearing West Hartford Police Department uniforms, but the six new recruits must first complete extensive training.

Two of the recruits, Tianna Jackson and Meghan Begley, are already several weeks into their 22-week training program at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden and are scheduled to graduate in March. They will then begin the 16-week Field Training Officer program through the West Hartford Police Department before being assigned duties on their own, said Lt. Eric Rocheleau, who heads the West Hartford Police Department’s Training Division.

Jackson, who has been assigned badge no. 404, is a native of Kingston, Jamaica, and lived there until she was 12. Currently a Bloomfield resident, she is a 2013 graduate of the Global Experience Magnet School and obtained her associate’s degree in criminal justice from Manchester Community College in 2016.

Begley (badge no. 405) grew up and still lives in Berlin, CT. She is a 2012 Mercy High School graduate and in 2016 earned a B.A. in criminology from Central Connecticut State University. She was previously employed as a paralegal for John Perkins Injury Lawyers.

The four newest recruits – Ian Ranaldi, Blake Zimmerman, Maria Albini, and Generoso Coscarelli – were sworn in as officers by Town Clerk Essie Labrot on Dec. 18, Rocheleau said.

Town Clerk Essie Labrot swears in new West Hartford Police officer recruits on Dec. 18 (from left): Ian Ranaldi, Generoso Coscarelli, Blake ZImmerman, and Maria Albini. Courtesy photo

Rocheleau oversaw their initial orientation, which included receiving their badges and other identification. The four report for training at the Connecticut Police Academy on Dec. 29 and will graduate at the end of May.

Ranaldi (badge no. 406) is a 2012 graduate of Bristol Central High School in 2012 who obtained a B.A. in English from Central Connecticut University in 2015. He lives in Bristol and has been working as a supervisor at the UPS store in Farmington.

Zimmerman (badge no. 407) graduated from Enfield High School in 2013 and earned a B.S. in criminology from Central Connecticut University in 2017.  An Enfield resident, Zimmerman has been working as an assistant service manager at Firestone Complete Auto Care in Plainville, CT.

Albini (badge no. 408) is a 2013 Southington High School graduate and earned her B.S. in criminal justice, with concentrations in international justice and security, from the University of New Haven in 2017.  She lives in Southington and has been employed as a custom protection officer with G4S Security in Hartford.

Coscarelli (badge no. 409) is a 2010 graduate of Westhill High School in Stamford, and earned his B.S. in athletic training from Quinnipiac University in 2015. In 2017 he also earned an M.S. in physical education from Eastern Kentucky University and has been working as a stretching therapist for Massage Envy in Manchester, CT, where he also lives.

Recruits live onsite at the academy in Meriden on weekdays during their training period, returning to their homes on weekends.

“It’s a long process,” Rocheleau said. It will be late August or early September before the newest recruits are “set free,” he said.

Getting to the point of attending the Police Academy is also a long process, a months-long hiring process that begins with an application to the Town of West Hartford.

Rocheleau said that prospective officers first take a test at Town Hall, and those who pass have a “chief’s interview.”

Candidates who pass those steps are then subjected to an extensive background check conducted by the West Hartford Police Department’s Special Investigations Division. “They interview former employers, spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends, family members, schools,” said Rocheleau. There is also a credit check.

Candidates are also subjected to a psychological interview and medical exam. They meet certain physical standards required for the job, Rocheleau said.

The state also requires a polygraph exam for prospective officers. The polygraph exam lasts 4-6 hours, and is usually administered twice to each candidate in West Hartford.

“Our process is very, very thorough,” Rocheleau said. “We have very high standards.”

Only about 5 percent of candidates meet those standards and make it through the background check, former chief Tracey Gove previously said.

Rocheleau is excited about the two new classes of recruits, a diverse group that includes three women.

A new public safety dispatcher has also been hired, Rocheleau said.

Nicole Salter, a 2010 graduate of Simsbury High School and 2014 graduate of Keene State College (B.A. in communications), was previously a special education paraprofessional with Simsbury Public Schools.

She will begin her three-month training program, which includes CPR and emergency dispatch training, on Jan. 1, 2018.

The department still has positions to fill and hopes to continue to build diversity, Rocheleau said.

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