Veteran Police Officer Heads Detective Division

By Andrew Gorosko

In his new role heading the detective division at the Newtown Police Department, Detective Sergeant John Cole will be branching out into new areas, overseeing the complex long-term criminal investigations in which the unit specializes.

Det Sgt Cole, 45, who joined the police department in January 1989, became the sergeant heading the eight-member detective division early this month. The Police Commission selected him for the assignment from a field of three patrol sergeants seeking the position.

Det Sgt Cole became a patrol sergeant in 1999, being elevated from the rank of patrol officer. As a patrol sergeant, he supervised the department’s field training program for recruits. He also supervised operations at the town’s animal shelter on Ethan Allen Road.

While a patrol officer in the mid-1990s, Det Sgt Cole worked three rotating stints as a detective, serving in that post for an aggregate 18 months. Also, while a patrolman in the early 1990s, he was the police department’s undercover operative on the Statewide Narcotics Task Force, working in several cities in the state.

“My goal is to serve the department well, serve the town well,” said Det Sgt Cole of his new position.

Of his new assignment, he said, “I’m very happy with it…It’s a positive change…I’m very happy I was chosen by the commission and the chief.”

Det Sgt Cole replaces Robert Tvardzik as the supervisor of the detective division. Mr Tvardzik retired as a police officer in July.

Det Sgt Cole fondly remembers the day in 1988 when he picked up the job application paperwork for a patrol officer position at the police department. The late Michael Fekete, who would later go on to become the department’s captain, handed Det Sgt Cole those application forms.

After Det Sgt Cole was hired, he attended the Connecticut Municipal Police Academy, underwent local field training, and became and independently-patrolling officer.

The detective sergeant remarks at how quickly the past 18 years seem to have passed.

“I love law enforcement,” he said, adding that his becoming a police officer was “definitely one of the best decisions I made in my life.”

While he was a patrol sergeant for more than seven years, “I enjoyed working closely with the patrolmen,” Det Sgt Cole said.

In his new role as detective sergeant, he will be dealing with the more serious crimes that occur in town. Such cases involve burglaries, thefts, serious assaults, drugs, fraud, and identity theft.

Also, Det Sgt Cole will serve as the police department’s liaison to other law enforcement organizations and the courts. Local police most often interact with state police and also with federal officials, as needed.

Det Sgt Cole said he expects that his experience as a detective in the mid-1990s and his overall experience as a police officer will aid him as he makes the transition from patrol sergeant to detective sergeant.

“I think my experience is going to help me out…I’ll put 100 percent into the position, as I always have,” he said.

The detective sergeant’s motto in policing is, “Be honest and fair.”

Also, “Hold yourself accountable for what you do” is good advice for police recruits, he said.

“You must be held to a higher standard. As a police officer, you cannot question that fact,” he said.

Of Det Sgt Cole’s new assignment, Police Chief Michael Kehoe has said, “All the candidates were very qualified and he was the best qualified for the post.”

“He [Cole] certainly brings a lot of experience in the detective division,” Chief Kehoe said.

Det Sgt Cole received excellent performance reviews from his superiors and is a committed and dedicated police officer, said the chief.

Det Sgt Cole is married and has three children. His interests include fishing at Candlewood Lake, driving, and watching basketball games.

A 1979 graduate of Danbury High School, he attended Norwalk Community College.