Newest Recruit Studying Law Enforcement

At Police Academy

By Andrew Gorosko

Friday, February 1, is a day that William Chapman will likely long remember.

On that day, Mr Chapman took the oath of office to become a Newtown policeman, bearing Badge #98.

In that role, Officer Chapman expects to fulfill a long-held desire to work in the field of law enforcement.

In ceremonies amid family, friends, town officials, and police department members, Officer Chapman took the oath of office from Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia at the police station.

The 24-year-old recruit repeated the oath spoken by Ms Aurelia, vowing to serve the public interest in his role of law enforcement officer.

After the ceremony, Officer Chapman explained that his father has a background in public service, having served in the military and worked for the state Department of Correction. A public service post, such as police officer, seemed a logical course for him to follow.

Officer Chapman said that he attended college with a career in law enforcement in mind. He graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Earlier, he had graduated from EO Smith High School in the Storrs section of Mansfield. Officer Chapman grew up in Willington.

 Officer Chapman worked for two years in a youth ministry, serving as a mentor to the young, he explained. Also, he has worked as an armored car driver for Dunbar Security.

Currently, Mr Chapman lives in Monroe with his wife, Stephanie.

The recruit will be attending the state’s Municipal Police Academy in Meriden until June, when he would graduate from a training program for municipal law enforcement officers.

Officer Chapman said he will seek to graduate from his police academy class with as high a class ranking as possible. He would then participate in a course of field training in Newtown accompanied by training officers.

In remarks during the ceremony, Officer Chapman said, “I worked hard to get here…I’m glad I chose Newtown. I think I made the right choice.”

In greeting Officer Chapman, First Selectman Joseph Borst said, “I’d like to welcome William to the police force.”

“It’s going to be a big addition,” he quipped in apparent reference to officer Chapman’s considerable size.

Officer Chapman will be a good addition to the police department, the first selectman added, noting that the town appreciates his interest in working in law enforcement in Newtown.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe termed Officer Chapman’s hiring a “significant event” for both the officer and the police agency.

The police chief noted that town police are some of the most visible members of the local government, in that they drive clearly marked vehicles and wear distinctive uniforms symbolizing their role. Public safety is a very important function of local government, he said.

Chief Kehoe noted that Officer Chapman is the sixth officer that the police department has hired from a hiring pool that was formed after the most recent round of competitive testing for the post of police patrol officer. That hiring process has proven quite fruitful for the town, he said.

Officer Chapman becomes the 45th current member of the police department, which is authorized to have up to 47 sworn officers.

Chief Kehoe noted that Officer Chapman has overcome obstacles in working toward becoming a policeman. Officer Chapman has much potential in terms of law enforcement, he added.

“We want you to succeed, because when you succeed, we succeed,” the police chief said.