The following letters of appreciation for New Canaan Police Department officers were released by Chief John DiFederico at the Sept. 18, 2024 Police Commission meeting.
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Dear Chief DiFederico,
I am writing to share my appreciation and gratitude for the support the NCPD offered yesterday in our neighborhood. Our neighbor had an attempted theft of a vehicle from their driveway yesterday afternoon, and the incident occurred shortly before two of my sons (a seventh- and eighth-grader at Saxe) were to arrive in the neighborhood by school bus. My boys shared that two cruisers were near the school bus while it was in the neighborhood, and that one turned onto our road and cautiously drive up and down the street while they were walking home after being dropped off. I am unsure if this is a standard procedure or response to an incident where a school bus is entering an active investigation area or if it just happened to be a coincidence in timing, but I want to share how much it meant to our family. While I am typically home at that time, I was stuck in traffic returning from work and I arrived home about ten minutes after the boys were dropped off at the end of the streety by the bus. It would mean a great deal if you could please share our appreciation with the officers who were part of the investigation on Apple Tree Lane yesterday. With thanks
Chrissy Khachane (Sept. 5)
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Dear Chief DiFederico,
We wanted to get you a quick note to thank you for the support and kindness of two New Canaan police officers last weekend. We were out for a wedding and received an alert from our alarm company Friday evening about 9PM. The alert was for an interior motion detector, which was specifically concerning, so we authorized ADT to request a call from the New Canaan Police. We called the department, and the dispatcher confirmed that the call would be made; she also reassured us that, with the storm going on in town, the alert might be triggered by something other than an intrusion. An officer visited, walked the perimeter, checked the home’s doors and windows, and, to our relief, found no issues. Unfortunately we don’t know the names of the dispatcher or officer to thank them directly, but wanted to let you know how much we appreciate their support. They were professional, caring, and fully addressed our concerns. Sincerely,
David & Nancy Kalal (Aug. 14, 2024)
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Captain [Joseph] Farenga,
I wanted to personally commend Officer [Robert] Rizzitelli for his hard work during the Field Training Process. Officer Rizzitelli has demonstrated a strong work ethic in training and assisting new recruits. He writes some of the most detailed Daily Observation Reports I’ve seen. Officer Rizzitelli has a calm, professional demeanor with each recruit. Officer Rizzitelli seems personally committed to making sure they succeed in the FTO program. He recently wrote up a detailed scenario-day event for a recruit. He wrote a memo laying out three separate, unique and realistic scenarios involving non-compliant persons. Each scenario had a specific criteria listed that the recruit had to meet in order to succeed. It also provided a list of ground rules for the role players to follow. Afterwards, he provided a comprehensive After Action Report on each scenario and how the recruit handled each one. I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback on Officer Rizzitelli and it’s important to get more FTO’s to follow his lead in working with our new officers in the field. Training a new office is very time consuming and exhausting at times. Some FTO’s begin to lose patience, and can view a minor mistake made by a new officer as a failure. The job of a Field Trainer can be stressful, but Officer Rizzitelli has shown that he can maintain professional, role-model behavior every day he’s here. Again, I wanted to take the time to recognize him for all of his hard work. Sincerely,
Sgt. George Caponera (Aug. 8, 2024)
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I would like to commend Lt. David Payne for almost 15 years of service as the Lead Accident Reconstructionist for the New Canaan Police Department. Lt. Payne’s training record in the field of accident investigations began in 2006 and is extensive:
- 2006—At scene traffic crash investigation
- 2007—Advanced traffic crash investigation
- 2007—Writing & obtaining search warrants for crash investigations
- 2008—Pedestrian/bicycle crash investigation
- 2008—Methodology & techniques of crash data retrieval
- 2012—Crash zone basic & intermediate
- 2012—Forensic scene mapping & diagramming using Total Station
- 2013—Traffic crash reconstruction
- 2018—Collision reconstruction seminar
- 2018—Motorcycle crash investigation
- 2019—Crash reconstruction seminar
- 2019—Occupant kinematics for the traffic crash reconstructionist
- 2021—Lethal weapon accident reconstruction seminar
- 2022—Faro focus laser scanning training
Lt. Payne responded to a fatal motor vehicle accident on his very first night as the lead constructionist, Sept. 13, 2009. Capitalizing on all of his training and experience, he was the lead investigator for six fatal motor vehicle accidents and supervised the work of two other investigations on four other fatal motor vehicle accidents. He has also investigated and overseen a multitude of accident investigations that resulted in serious injuries. With an acute attention to detail, Lt. Payne’s investigative acumen led to several arrests and convictions. Just as important, Lt. Payne has mentored three other accident reconstructionists, including the officer chosen to take his place as the lead. Lt. Payne’s dedication, expertise and diligence has brought justice and solace to victims’ families and credit to the New Canaan Police Department. For these accomplishments, I formally recommend Lt. Payne receive a Meritorious Duty Award and thank him for his service.
Deputy Chief Andrew Walsh (Aug. 29)