‘No Greater Reward’: Letters of Appreciation for New Canaan Police

Police Chief Leon Krolikowski shared the following letters of appreciation for New Canaan Police Department officers and staff at the Jan. 15 Police Commission meeting.

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Leon Krolikowski and the New Canaan Police Department

“Just a quick note to let you know that your work and that the officers in the department are most appreciated and do not go unnoticed. I was thinking especially of the first responders from Tuesday’s terrible situation on North Wilton Road. My grandfather was a police officer in Rye, as I think I’ve told you in the past. There was a crash of a B-25 in Rye and my grandfather was the first on the scene, couldn’t save any of the crew. My Uncle Jimmy at the time was flying B-25s in the Army Air Corps in the Aleutians against the Japanese. It hit my grandfather very hard, according to my dad.”

—Francis J. Harrigan Jr. (Dec. 12)

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Sgt. Peter Condos and Officer Thomas Patten

“On behalf of the Town and our residents, I commend you and thank you for your bravery and professionalism in saving a life last Thursday. I look forward to honoring you in person when the Department’s Lifesaving Award is presented to each of you. As Chief Krolikowski stated, there is no greater reward for a police officer than saving a life. Your service is greatly appreciated all year round but especially during the holiday season. My very best wishes to you and your families for a joyous Christmas.”

—First Selectman Kevin Moynihan (Dec. 24)

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Sgt. Louis Gannon and Officers Michael O’Sullivan, Roberto Lopez, Thomas Callinan, Matthew Blank, Annamaria Ceci and Matthew Marzano and NCPD Systems Administrator Christine Brown

“Thank you for taking the time today to help us run a successful food drive! We filled cars 9 and 12 with much needed food and diapers for those in our community in need. Special thanks to Sgt. Gannon and Off. O’Sullivan for volunteering their time on the Saturday before Christmas to help out!

“Thank you to Ofc. Lopez for helping coordinate today’s event and to Ofc. Blank for securing professional signage and helping start the event off with enthusiasm that undoubtedly landed us a lot of donations. Thank you to the relief shift Officers Callinan and Ceci who spend their shift time outside in the cold helping when they easily could have been in a warm car as well as Sgt. Milligan and Ofc. Marzano who helped in between calls. Thank you to Christine for all the social media advertising before and during the event. Today’s efforts will make the holiday season much brighter for a lot of people and you should all feel proud about that!”

—Sgt. Joseph Farenga (Dec. 21)

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Officers Thomas Callinan and Shane Gibson

“I just wanted to send a quick note about the training the other night. Off. Callinan and Off. Gibson did an outstanding job. It was fun, educational and different. I hope we can continue training like this in the future.”

—Officer Ron Bentley (Dec. 19)

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Officers George Caponera and Sebastian Obando

“I would like to express my appreciation for 2 of your officers who responded to a medical emergency on Dec. 23 at our home with the EMS. They were all great and got my wife to the hospital.”

—sent to Krolikowski (Dec. 26)

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Lt. Carol Ogrinc, Sgt. David Payne and Officers Michael O’Sullivan

“I would like to take a moment to thank you all for your assistance with the Peer Interview component of our RTS process … The Peer Interview phase of our testing process is one of the most important, as it narrows down our selection of candidates to a small group. In addition, it not only allows us to get to know one of our potential future officers; it also gives that individual a chance to get to know our agency. You all handle that task with integrity and professionalism. Each one of you provided valuable input regarding the candidates that interviewed that evening. Thanks to your help, we were able to identify a solid group of candidates that could potentially advance in our testing process. Your contributions made the selection process run smoothly and efficiently. Most importantly, you all represented our department in a proud and professional manner. Again, you have my sincere appreciation for your assistance.”

—Sgt. Brian Mitchell (Dec. 13)