The West Hartford Police held its annual awards ceremony at Town Hall on May 15, 2015.

By Ronni Newton

On National Police Officer Memorial Day, the West Hartford Police Department held its annual awards ceremony, paying tribute to several local residents who have either assisted the department in preventing a crime, apprehending a suspect, or performing other valuable service. The department also honored many of its own members for exceptional work and for service anniversaries.

“What a year for policing – what a year it’s been,” West Hartford Police Chief Tracey Gove told the capacity crowd that filled Town Council chambers for the annual ceremony on Friday morning.

Gove said that when he was deciding what to say, he came across an article written by Anchorage, AK Police Chief Mark Mew. The article referenced “Mayberry moments” – the times that police officers do something “unselfish or unrequired.”

West Hartford isn’t always like “Mayberry,” but Gove said that there are so many things that the police do every day that most residents never know about. He mentioned the many times that officers pitched in to help shovel residents’ driveways this winter, the union’s $12,000 of charitable donations and picnic for 200 seniors, purchasing Christmas decorations and gifts for a single mom and her child.

“We do them because cops in town take care of their beats, their community … We don’t do this job for recognition or accolades,” Gove said. The West Hartford Police do what they do “because that’s what’s in our moral fiber,” he said.

With everything that has been going on in the world these days, and a lot of negative press about police officers, Gove said, “We need to recognize more than ever the [actions of our officers that are] selfless, above and beyond.”

Town Council member Harry Captain handed out eight Citizen Awards to individuals whose “cooperation has aided the department in the prevention of crime, the apprehension of criminals, or has performed a valuable service.”

Those receiving Citizen Awards included Susan Callison and Scott McDonald, who worked together to provide medical assistance and CPR to a West Hartford teen who collapsed while jogging on the Kingswood Oxford track last June. Officer Jeremy Allen also recived a Life Saving Award for the same incident. Representatives from ambulance service AMR said the teen would not have survived without the “early and continuous CPR” performed by Callison and McDonald.

West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka presented a multitude of merit and citation awards to police department members for exceptional work including traffic stops that resulted in drug and weapons arrests, burglaries, and robberies.

“It’s a wonderful morning to recognize a place where we know we’re not Mayberry, but to the extent we come close it’s because of the excellent work of the West Hartford Police Department,” Slifka said.

A number of department employees were also honored for service anniversaries.

Thanks to the West Hartford Police Department for the details about all awards winners listed below.

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West Hartford Citizen Awards:

Edwin Robles

On December 14, 2014, Mr. Robles observed some store employees chasing a shoplifting suspect on New Park Avenue. Mr. Robles notified 911 and began to follow the suspect, calling in the direction of travel. Officers were able to stop the suspect, who Mr. Robles was able to identify as the shoplifter.

Donald Harris

On August 15, 2014, Mr. Harris observed two suspicious people in his neighborhood. Mr. Harris notified the police department and gave a complete description of the suspects. Officers arrived into the neighborhood and arrested two individuals that had broken into 10 vehicles that evening. The pair were also suspects in numerous other car breaks.

Susan Callison, Scott McDonald

On June 10, 2014, an 18 year old jogger at Kingswood Oxford School was running laps around the field when he collapsed. Susan Callison and Scott McDonald immediately began to do CPR and continued to assist when the police officer arrived on scene. The student made a full recovery.

Thomas Carroll, Stephanie Carroll

On May 17, 2014, Mr. and Mrs. Carroll were doing work around their home when they saw a suspicious person entering the rear yard of a neighbor. They immediately called the police and stayed on the phone relaying a good description and the direction of travel, of the person. Police arrived and after a foot chase which led to the tasering of the suspect, the person was arrested. He had just burglarized the home, had 10 bags of heroin on him and was armed with a knife. All the stolen items were recovered.

Joanna Guziewicz, Christian Hage

On June 28 2014, Ms. Joanna Guziewicz was shopping at WFM when she observed a male filming up women’s skirts. She confronted the suspect who immediately fled, with Ms. Guziewicz chasing him. She followed him across the street to Sears where Sears Security Officer Christian Hage observed what was going on and detained the suspect until the police arrived. Security Officer Hage also had the presence of mind to remove the memory card from the camera so that it would not be destroyed. The police arrived and arrested the suspect.

West Hartford Police Departmental Citations:

Officer Antony Miele

Is being awarded for multiple self-initiated arrests. On May 2, 2014, Officer Miele stopped a car where one of the occupants was wanted and the pair admitted to looking for homes to break into and steal copper. A stolen car was also recovered. On May 6, 2014, Officer Miele saw some items strewn about the road. He located the victim of an unreported car burglary. He was able to locate a pair of juveniles that had just broken into several cars and were trying to steal from another one. On May 14, 2014, Officer Miele saw a suspicious car. As he turned his car around the car fled the area and later crashed. Officer Miele was able to locate the driver and arrest him. Inside the car was a ski mask, and the car later turned out to be stolen.

Officer Jeremiah Gagnon, Officer Christopher Tyler

On March 17, 2015, Officer Gagnon and Officer Tyler made a car stop and when they approached the car there was a heavy odor of marijuana. A search of the vehicle located 1.8 ounces of marijuana, a .38 caliber revolver and a pair of brass knuckles. The driver was a convicted felon.

Officer Ryan Riley, Officer Peter Senick

On January 23, 2015, Officer Riley and Officer Senick were on patrol when they stopped a car for no front license plate. As they approached the car they noticed a bag of jewelry in the vehicle. Further investigation showed that the occupants of the car had just committed a burglary in Glastonbury. All the stolen items were recovered.

Sergeant Brett Balisciano, Officer Jeremiah Gagnon

On March 11, 2015, Officer Gagnon stopped a car. The driver, who was on federal probation and wearing an ankle bracelet, was evasive in his answers. Several officers responded to assist Officer Gagnon and they obtained consent to search the vehicle. During the search Sergeant Balisciano located 650 bags of heroin hidden in a secret compartment in the car. Also found in the car were 4 cell phones and $490 in cash. The driver was arrested on numerous charges.

Officer Kevin Harrison

On January 23, 2015, Officer Harrison noticed a car parked oddly at a gas station and then observed a person walk from a darkened area of the lot and get into the car. He stopped the car and subsequent investigation recovered a large amount of marijuana, $4,675 in cash, several cell phones and $140 in counterfeit money. 2 arrests were made for multiple charges.

Life Saving Award:

Officer Douglas Martindale

On April 17, 2014, Officer Martindale was doing traffic in the area of Albany Avenue and Sequin Road when he began to smell the odor of smoke in the area. Officer Martindale began a search of the area and located a home that had heavy smoke coming from the attic. As he was knocking on the door the Fire Department arrived and made entry where they found an unconscious homeowner. He was removed and first aid was given to him. The homeowner recovered.

Officer Jeremy Allen

On June 10, 2014, an 18-year-old jogger at Kingswood Oxford School was running laps around the field when he collapsed. Officer Allen, with the assistance of passersby successfully administered CPR and the student made a full recovery.

West Hartford Police Department Merit Awards:

Sergeant Brett Balisciano

On July 25, 2014, Sergeant Balisciano was informed that Hartford Police Department was looking for someone that was threatening to kill a police officer. Sergeant Balisciano located the suspect just over the line in Hartford and detained him. Further investigation by Sergeant Balisciano located 3 packages of cocaine. Hartford PD arrived and arrested the individual for the cocaine and were able to interview him about the threats.

Officer David Michael

On January 2, 2015, Officer Michael stopped a vehicle and noticed that the driver was bleeding from his hand and there was a woman’s purse in the car. Further investigation showed that the driver had just broken into a car at a nearby movie theater. Officer Michael was able to solve a car burglary before the owner knew there had been a theft. All stolen property recovered.

Officer Jeremiah Gagnon, Officer Brandon Dudzinski

On September 17, 2014, Officer Gagnon and Officer Dudzinski stopped a car in which they knew the driver had a warrant. Subsequent investigation recovered multiple items stolen from several homes in which the suspect and his girlfriend had been working. Several theft cases were solved.

Officer Amanda Martin

On July 8, 2014, around 4 a.m., Officer Martin stopped a suspicious person that was exiting from a rear yard. The suspect gave conflicting accounts as to why he was in the backyard. Further investigation showed that the suspect had been involved in several thefts from vehicles and garages in the neighborhood.

Officer Timothy Camerl

On June 1, 2014, Officer Camerl stopped a car for running a red light. Officer Camerl could see several glassine bags, the type used to hold illegal drugs, inside the car. Further investigation revealed a handgun and marijuana in the vehicle. One adult arrest and one juvenile referral made.

Officer Brian Gallagher

On November 14, 2014, several storage bins were broken into on Vera Street. Some of the items included sports equipment. When he heard about the burglaries Officer Gallagher checked with Play it Again Sports on his beat and located some of the stolen items. He was able to backtrack the case and locate the person that sold the items, who was subsequently arrested for the bin burglaries.

Unit Citations:

Sergeant Eric Rocheleau, Sergeant Joseph Creaco, Sergeant Joseph Verrengia, Sergeant Anthony Anderle, Sergeant Christophe Day, Sergeant Daniel Moffo, Detective Benjamin DelMonte, Detective Matt Bonzagni, Officer Leopoldo Negron, Officer James Mahoney, Officer James Mahon, Officer David Santora, Officer Christopher Tyler, Officer Robert Hass, Officer Dustin Ganci, Officer Gregory Palmquist, Officer Thomas Nagle, Officer Brandon Dudzinski, Officer Jeremiah Gagnon, Officer Aaron Vafiades, PSD Carol Thibedeau

On June 25, 2014, a resident on New Britain Avenue interrupted a burglary. The suspect pushed the resident and fled from the home. The suspect was able to elude the police for 45 minutes, fleeing on foot into Newington. He was captured by responding officers. Stolen jewelry was recovered from the suspect and he later admitted to the burglary.

Officer Christopher Leonard, Officer Ryan Xenelis, Officer Timothy Camerl, Sergeant Joseph Creaco

On January 6, 2015, the above officers responded to a report of a street robbery. The victim had attempted to sell a cell phone on Craig’s List and instead of making the sale the “buyer” pulled out a handgun. The officers were able to track down the buyer using the vague contact information the victim had gotten. They recovered the stolen item and a pellet gun used in the robbery.

Sergeant Samuel Ferrucci, Sergeant Daniel Moffo, Detective Jeremy Tangarone, Detective Benjamin DelMonte, Detective Phillip Mugford, Detective Andrew Wamester, Detective Scott Segar, Detective Steven Ciarleglio

On June 18, 2014, 10 homes were burglarized over night while the occupants slept. The detective division, through a laborious investigation was able to solve these burglaries. The suspect, who had been arrested for committing the same type of burglaries in the same neighborhood 20 years earlier, was located in Massachusetts and extradited back to Connecticut to face trial.

Sergeant Steven Hinckley, Sergeant Eric Rocheleau, Officer Thomas Lazure, Officer Douglas Martindale, Officer Nicholas Sachetti, Officer David Strzalka, Officer William Norton, Officer Kyle Christian, Detective Andy Wamester, Officer James Parizo

On August 17, 2014, officers responded to a report of a street robbery in which a handgun was threatened. As officers were responding those responsible for the robbery, in an attempt to avoid detection, broke into a nearby home and held the resident hostage. After about an hour they fled that home and attempted to gain entry into another one. Officers were able to arrest two of those individuals as they were hiding in the neighborhood and a third was arrested a few weeks later. The above members of the department were instrumental in the arrest. 

Years of Service Awards:

20 Years of Service

• Officer Daniel Kardas
• ACO Karen Jones
• Officer Stacy Thomas
• Detective Dawn Lascari
• Officer Ruben Gonzalez
• Detective Paul Roy
• Officer Gregory Palmquist
• PSD Theodore Hansen

25 Years of Service

• Captain Jeffrey Rose
• Mr. Lawrence Niland
• Assistant Chief Daniel Coppinger

30 Years of Service

• PSD Susan MacDonald
• Mrs. Lane Cronin
• Detective Phillip Mugford