The public willingly puts its trust in the hands of New Canaan Police Department officers and civilians trust that they’ll be taken care of in the proper manner, the police chief said Thursday.
Sebastian Obando (L) and Matthew Blank (R) prior to their formal swearing-in as New Canaan police officers by Town Clerk Claudia Weber at Lapham Community Center on March 24, 2016. Credit: Michael Dinan
Citizens don’t want that responsibility for themselves, and ask that those in uniform “get it right,” Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said during a swearing-in ceremony for the department’s two newest officers.
“My charge to you is to do just that: Get it right,” he told Matthew Blank and Sebastian Obando prior to Town Clerk Claudia Weber swearing in the two new officers during the ceremony, held at Lapham Community Center. “We all have heard about stories of officers who have gotten it wrong. Remember that not everyone will automatically understand what you are doing as a police officer, or why you make certain decisions. Realize there will be times when your actions will be the biggest and most important thing that has ever happened in someone’s life. My final charge to you is to conduct yourself with honor. Protect your credibility, our department’s credibility and maintain your honor. In closing, I welcome you and your families to our department and the entire New Canaan community wishes you only the best and we are most grateful to have you with us. Welcome to New Canaan. Welcome to our family.”
Matthew Blank and Sebastian Obando stand in the foreground following their swearing-in ceremony at Lapham Community Center while Capt. Vincent DeMaio and Chief Leon Krolikowski, who came up together 27 years ago as NCPD officers, stand in the background. DeMaio at month’s end leaves NCPD to take the helm as chief of the Clinton Police Department. This photo taken March 24, 2016. Credit: Michael Dinan
About 30 people including the new officers’ families, Selectman Beth Jones, Police Commissioner Sperry DeCew, Police Capt. Vincent DeMaio and several members of the department attended the event. Krolikowski pinned honorary badges on the officers-to-be and, in addition to those listed above, thanked First Selectman Rob Mallozzi, Selectman Nick Williams, the entire police commission and Police Sgt. Christian Gray, the department’s training and recruitment officer.
Blank and Obando next week will commence training at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden as part of its 353rd class, and expect to graduate in September.
L-R: New Canaan Police Capt. Vincent DeMaio, Chief Leon Krolikowski, newly sworn-in Officer Matthew Blank and his family during a ceremony at Lapham Community Center on March 24, 2016. Credit: Michael Dinan
Blank, 27, of Stamford, was accompanied by his wife Lauren and son Jackson. A Stamford High School graduate who went on to study at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in Manhattan and then at Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Ariz., where he studied operational intelligence, Blank most recently was employed at Saxe Middle School as assistant director/stage manager. He has served for three years as an intelligence analyst for the Connecticut National Guard.
“It’s great to get back to a town that’s given myself and my wife so much, so I’m excited to get back to it on another level,” Blank said during an interview.
Police Chief Leon Krolikowski addresses newly sworn-in Officer Sebastian Obando and his family during a ceremony held March 24, 2016 at Lapham Community Center. Credit: Michael Dinan
Obando, 22, of Rye Brook, N.Y., is a Port Chester High School graduate who attended the University of Tampa in Florida and then transferred to Penn State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology. A Spanish speaker, Obando most recently was employed by SoulCycle in Rye Brook and has been involved as a mentor with both Big Brothers, Big Sisters and with the Youth Service Bureau for Center County in State College, Penn.
Asked how he felt, Obanda said he was “definitely excited and honored to be given this opportunity to work with the New Canaan Police Department.”
“I’m looking forward to it and hopefully I can be an asset and serve the community,” he said.
Standing at a podium beside DeMaio—who at month’s end will leave New Canaan to become Clinton’s police chief and with whom Krolikowski came up as a New Canaan police officer more than 25 years ago himself—the chief thanked the new officers’ families for their steady support and said the two were “exceptional candidates” chosen from a field of 79.
“Many challenges and changes lie ahead for our department but with men like Matthew and Sebastian joining our ranks, I see great success as we fulfill our mission to protect and serve the town of New Canaan,” Krolikowski said.