Bryan Connolly

NCPD Officer Rex Sprosta Named ‘2020 Lt. Stephen W. Wood Officer of the Year Award’ Winner

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A 16-year New Canaan Police veteran has earned one of the department’s highest honors, Chief Leon Krolikowski said Thursday. Officer Rex Sprosta, a U.S. Marines veteran hired by NCPD in October 2004 is winner of the 2020 Lt. Stephen W. Wood Officer of the Year Award. Created in 2014 and first earned by Wood’s own son-in-law, the award is designed to “honor and memorialize a beloved member of our department,” Krolikowski said in a a press release. A U.S. Marine veteran himself, Wood served the town from 1977 to 2009 and “was taken from us far too young,” Krolikowski said. “Nomination and selection for this award is the result of exceptional work, integrity, and overall service to our Town and Department,” the chief said in the press release.

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‘She Even Had a Bottle of Water for Me’: Letters of Appreciation for New Canaan Police

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Police Chief Leon Krolikowski on Wednesday night spotlighted some of the outstanding work of the department’s officers. During the Police Commission’s regular meeting, he cited a series of letters of appreciation from the community. 

“I think it’s important to better recognize the good work of our officers which we do not do often enough,” Krolikowski said at the meeting, held in the New Canaan Police Department. 

He added: “I’m sure myself and on behalf of the Commission, we should extend our thanks to all of our officers for the work that they do. We are about to enter into budget season when we are talking about statistics and numbers and costs and some things are difficult to measure, and these letters that we get are the kinds of things we should be highlighting.”

Here are excerpts:

Officer Roy Adams

“I am writing to express my wife’s and my own thanks and gratitude to your Department and especially to your officer Adams … On July 18th at around 7:30 a.m. my wife fell in our apartment at The Inn where we reside. While unhurt, she was unable to get up on her own even with my insufficient strength to help (we are 92 and 94 years old)—911 was called. Officer Adams showed up first, took in and evaluated the situation.

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New Canaan Police Officer Owen Ochs Sworn In at Lapham

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Police, friends and family gathered at Lapham Community Center on Friday morning for the swearing-in ceremony of the New Canaan Police Department’s newest officer, Owen Ochs. The 27-year-old Stamford residents emerged as a singularly “exceptional candidate” from a field of 114, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski told those gathered for the ceremony, officiated by Town Clerk Claudia Weber. “Today is a very special day that began months ago,” the chief said. He continued: “Many challenges and changes lie ahead for our department and our profession but with men like Owen joining our ranks, I see great success as we fulfill our mission to protect and serve the town of New Canaan.”

The chief welcomed Ochs’s family and thanked First Selectman Rob Mallozzi, Selectmen Beth Jones and Nick Williams as well as the Police Commission for their support and sign-off on the department’s newest officer. Ochs is expected to attend the Connecticut Police Academy next week with a tentative graduation date of Sept.

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U.S. Army Combat Veteran To Join New Canaan Police Department’s Ranks

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A 9-year U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan is poised to join the New Canaan Police Department as an entry-level officer. Following a 3-0 ‘yes’ vote Tuesday at the Board of Selectmen for his classification and pay, 27-year-old Owen Ochs will travel next month to train with the Connecticut Police Academy. Honorably discharged Jan. 23 from the Army as a staff sergeant who specialized in infantry, Ochs as the department’s 47th officer would bring NCPD to its full complement, according to Police Chief Leon Krolikowski. While serving, Ochs earned his associate’s degree in general studies from the American Military University, according to a biography supplied by police.