Newtown Man Now Heading Oxford Law Enforcement

By Andrew Gorosko

OXFORD — A Newtown man has become the temporary supervisory resident state trooper for Oxford, a 12,300-resident town across the Housatonic River from the eastern corner of Newtown.

Sergeant Dan Semosky has been settling into his new role as head of Oxford law enforcement, overseeing the work of three other resident state troopers there, plus nine Oxford police officers.

Sgt Semosky has applied for the post of permanent supervisory resident trooper for Oxford.

A Newtowner since 1992, Sgt Semosky lives with his wife Michele and daughter Marybeth, 11, who is a sixth grader at Reed Intermediate School. Marybeth plays youth lacrosse and basketball.

“We always liked Newtown. We always liked the charm of the town,” Sgt Semosky said.

Driving southward down Main Street, approaching the Main Street flagpole, engenders warms feelings, Sgt Semosky said. 

Heading Oxford’s law enforcement is the latest assignment in Sgt Semosky’s career with state police, which began in 1987 when he was hired as a trooper recruit. He then worked as a trooper at Troop A in Southbury.

From 1989 to 1994, he worked as a trooper out of the former Westport state police barracks. He then served as Bridgewater’s resident trooper, after which he served as a sergeant at the Bridgeport barracks. Sgt Semosky then specialized in community policing. He later headed the state police’s Western District Traffic Unit in Litchfield. From 2004 to 2006, Sgt Semosky was the media officer at the Bridgeport barracks. In 2006, he returned to Troop A, becoming a patrol shift supervisor and liaison to Garner Correctional Institution.

Among the medals that Sgt Semosky wears on his uniform are a lifesaving medal for saving the life of an attempted suicide victim in Bridgewater, an outstanding service award for having helped solve a murder case in Bridgeport, and a field training office medal for training rookie state troopers at Troop A.

In an interview at the Oxford police station, Sgt Semosky, 44, said, “I started young…I still feel I have a lot of good years left in me.”

“I always wanted to be a police officer,” he said.

“Twenty years has gone by in a flash…When you look back, ‘Where has the time gone?,’’’ he asked.

A 1987 graduate of Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Sgt Semosky had a major course of studies in social science, with a focus on law enforcement-related courses.

Having a bachelor’s degree in social science has proven useful in the field of law enforcement, he explains.

“You meet many different people. You have to deal with many different situations at the drop of a hat…You have to deal with other people’s problems on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

“You deal with people in their worst possible condition, unfortunately,” he added.

A good fraction of law enforcement involves keeping the peace, and sometimes that means quelling the intensity of unruly parties, he noted.

“You get ‘invited’ to parties that you don’t want to go to,” he said of complaints received by police which urge them to establish order at unruly social events.

“As a resident trooper, you many many hats,” the sergeant explained.

First and foremost, a resident trooper is a policeman, but beyond that, the job requires familiarity with marriage counseling, youth counseling, politics, government, budgeting, and dealing with police unions, he said. “It’s a balancing act,” he said.

Resident troopers interact with the selectmen in a town, responding to public requests for service which the selectmen have forwarded to them, Sgt Semosky said.

“Each day has different challenges. It’s rewarding dealing with the [town] residents,” he said.

“I really like working with children and community policing,” he said.

Besides interacting with the three volunteer fire companies in Oxford, the police cover law enforcement matters that occur at Waterbury-Oxford Airport.

Sgt Semosky recently participated in the Lake Zoar patrol, a law enforcement patrol that monitors recreational boating on the 11-mile-long impoundment on the Housatonic River. The towns with frontage on the lake take turns patrolling its waters.

Of police work, the sergeant said, “You see some very, very bad things,” but “you just keep going.”

Police need to maintain their composure and progress through the difficult situations that they encounter while at work, he said. “You learn how to work effectively,” he said.

When not handling law enforcement duties, Sgt Semosky enjoys outdoor recreation including camping. He also collects antique John Deere tractors.