Kelly Coughlin

New Canaan Police Take Part in Special Olympics ‘Law Enforcement Torch Run’

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New Canaan Police on Friday participated in a fundraising run for the Special Olympics. NCPD received the “Flame of Hope” from Stamford Police early on a sunny, hot morning at the “Pop Up Park” at South Avenue between Elm Street and Morse Court. The Law Enforcement Torch Run “is an incredible event that brings law enforcement together and connects them with the Special Olympics community,” Officer Kelly Coughlin said in an interview before NCPD’s leg of the run started. Launched in 1981, the “run” now sees more than 100,000 law enforcement officers, known to the event as “Guardians of the Flame,” participate. The “Flame of Hope” symbolizes courage and celebration of diversity, according to the Special Olympics website.

Annamaria Ceci

‘Good Work Can Be Overlooked’: Letters of Appreciation for NCPD

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The following letters of support for New Canaan Police officers were made public by Chief John DiFederico at the May 18 Police Commission meeting, held in Town Hall. ***

Officer Kelly Coughlin

Dear Chief DiFederico,

I am writing to extend my sincere gratitude to you and the New Canaan Police Department for the outstanding support provided during our recent missing person search on April 19, 2025. The deployment of your Drone Team with Officer Kelly Coughlin was instrumental in our search efforts. Her professionalism and expertise allowed us to locate the missing party in good health. The level of knowledge and commitment demonstrated by Officer Coughlin reflects positively on your agency.

Government

NCPD Special Olympics ‘Law Enforcement Torch Run’ Set for June 6

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Town officials on Wednesday night approved a road closure downtown to bring attention to a unique local effort led by the New Canaan Police Department. The Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run, scheduled for Friday, June 6, “is a great event that’s gone on for a long time to unify law enforcement officers from all over the country with Special Olympics athletes, and it’s a huge fundraiser for Special Olympics, especially in Connecticut,” according to NCPD Officer Kelly Coughlin. 

Addressing members of the Police Commission at their regular meeting, Coughlin said, “The Law Enforcement Torch Run involves police officers carrying a literal torch to kick off their Summer Olympics event games, and it’s carried throughout the whole state of Connecticut. We’ve been fortunate the last two years to be able to run through New Canaan with the torch and we will be doing so again this year.”

New Canaan’s leg of the Torch Run starts at the “Pop Up Park” at South Avenue between Elm Street and Morse Court, and runs down South Avenue into neighboring Darien. A longtime supporter of the Special Olympics, Coughlin has arranged for NCPD to participate in the Torch Run in recent years. Launched in 1981 in support the Special Olympics cause by carrying the “Flame of Hope,” the Torch Run happens through communities in every state annually.

Around Town

NCPD Officer Kelly Coughlin and the ‘Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run’ [Q&A]

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New Canaan Police Officer Kelly Coughlin is a longtime supporter of the Special Olympics, and in recent years she’s arranged for the New Canaan Police Department to participate in a popular fundraiser for the organization, the Law Enforcement Torch Run. We put some questions to Coughlin about the event itself, scheduled for May 31, as well as additional ways that locals can support the Special Olympics. Here’s our exchange. ***

New Canaanite: What is the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run? Officer Kelly Coughlin: The Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run first started in 1981 as a way for law enforcement to become active in the community and to support the Special Olympics cause by carrying the Flame of Hope, hence the Torch Run name, through communities in every state.

Animal 411

New Canaan Police and Fire Team Up To Rescue ‘Roscoe’ the Cat, Reunite Him with Local Family

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New Canaan’s emergency responders teamed up Sunday to rescue a cat and return him to his home. At about 8:22 a.m. on March 3, New Canaan Police Officer Kelly Coughlin was called to the lobby of the department’s temporary headquarters downtown on a report of a found cat, according to an incident report obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. There, Coughlin learned that town resident Gail Hart turned in an orange cat that had become stuck up a tree in the area of Mariomi Road near Hickok Road, according to the report. Members of the New Canaan Fire Department rescued the animal, which Hart thought might be hers since she’s missing an orange cat, the report said. But it wasn’t—the rescued cat was “long, bigger than average and looked well taken care of,” Coughlin said in the report.