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Gary K. Tyler
Chief of Police

South Windsor Police Services
151 Sand Hill Road
South Windsor, Ct  06074
(860)644-2551

South Windsor Police Services was established in 1968 under the authority of Chapter 6, Section 601 of the Town Charter by Town Ordinance 62-31.  In accordance with the Town Charter, the police department shall be responsible for the preservation of the public peace, prevention of crime, apprehension of criminals, regulation of traffic, protection of rights of persons and property and enforcement of the laws of the state and the ordinances of the Town and all rules and regulations made in accordance therewith. All members of the Police Department shall have the same powers and duties with respect to the service of criminal process and enforcement of criminal laws as are vested in police officers by the general statutes.   

Two New Officers Complete Police Academy
This year included the hiring of Officers Stephen Hoover and Mark Cleverdon. Both were hired in October 2007 and graduated from the police academy on April 2, 2008.  

Each officer received top honors in their academy class.  Officer Stephen Hoover received the Chief Samuel J. Luciano Award for academic excellence.  He finished number one in his class with the highest scholastic achievement. 

Officer Mark Cleverdon received the Trooper First Class Allan J. Tuskowski Award for overall performance during his term at the academy.  He also set an academy record by completing the 1.5 mile run in 7 minutes and 46 seconds. 

Retirement
On June 30, 2008, Agent Thomas Martin retired after 10 years of service with the department.  During his employment he was assigned to the Traffic Services Unit and also the Criminal Investigations Unit.  In November 2005 Agent Martin was assigned on a part time basis to the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force investigating various computer related crimes. The task force was made up of federal, state and local law enforcement officers and they were housed at the FBI building in New Haven, CT.   

Citizen Police Academy Fall 2007
October 2007 began the agency’s 15^th Police and Community Together (PACT) class. The goal of the PACT program is to educate local residents (and employees and their friends and families) about the management and operation of their local police department.  

The PACT Academy provides community members with an inside look at local law enforcement.  During the program, students are introduced to a variety of topics including a history of the department, crime prevention, media relations, investigations, computer crimes, use of force, patrol procedures, traffic safety and accident investigation, the criminal prosecution process and court system, domestic violence and child abuse, communications, and constitutional law.  In addition, participants get a chance to meet members of the department’s K-9 and Special Enforcement Units, as well as the School Resource Officers, the Elderly Service Officers, Chief of Police and other department members. Students are also given the opportunity to ride along with a patrol officer during a shift. 

Safe Schools Initiative
The police department continued its partnership with the South Windsor public school system through the department’s Safe Schools Initiative.  Commander Matthew Reed worked with school officials to author a grant request through the state’s School Security Grant Program.  The grant was ultimately approved and the school system was awarded $33,891 to upgrade the security systems at the Timothy Edwards Middle School. 

Annual Police Golf Tournament
On September 13, 2007, the South Windsor police hosted the 11th annual South Windsor Golf Tournament at Topstone Golf Course in South Windsor. The tournament is used to fund a variety of community programs, including the PACT Academy and scholarships for high school seniors. This year, the money raised also benefited cystic fibrosis.  This year’s tournament raised over $8775.00.   

PD Receives All-Terrain Vehicle
The Capitol Region Chiefs of Police in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security has provided 4 capitol region towns with all-terrain vehicles.  The vehicle, a John Deer Gator XUV, became the property of the town to be used for police operations such as in the Town’s parks, at Evergreen Walk or along the meadows area off of Main Street. The vehicle is ideal for off-road police operations. The vehicle will be equipped for search and rescue operations and will be made available to other capitol region communities in accordance with the current service-sharing agreement.  

 The towns of Avon, Hartford, Middletown and South Windsor were the recipients of the vehicles.  If this pilot project is successful it will be expanded next year to include other capitol region communities.  The program was proposed and coordinated by Chief Gary Tyler and Commander Matthew Reed. The vehicle was purchased through Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) funding and is one of four purchased for the Hartford region.  The John Deere Gator utility vehicle was put into service in the early summer of 2008.  

Bark Park
On November 18, 2007, the Town opened its first off-leash dog park.  The park is located at the north end of Chief Ryan Way in the Nevers Road Park.  Donations were solicited from local businesses to clear the land, install fencing and to deposit bark mulch. Water fountains and a concrete walkway were installed.  Citizen volunteers provided assistance with construction.  The Friends of the Bark Park organization was formed by a group of local supporters and will work to promote and maintain the park.

Black and White Cruisers
The police department has joined with other Hartford County police agencies to change the look of all patrol vehicles back to the traditional black-and-white color scheme.  South Windsor Police unveiled the new cars on August 3, 2007.

The black-and-white models will replace the current color pattern, which is almost completely white, with tan trim and a royal blue department logo.  The new models combine the classic black-and-white look with gray trim and the same royal blue logo. The cars have also reverted to classic blue and red flashing lights.

The new design is beneficial for the police department and residents.  It is easy for anyone who needs assistance to identify. The familiar look will also serve as a deterrent to speeding and other traffic violations.

Police Training-Active Shooter Response Training
On August 2, 2007 members of the South Windsor Police Department conducted a large scale “active shooter” training exercise at Pleasant Valley Elementary School.  This training exercise was held to test the department’s current level of tactical training and readiness to react to a critical incident.  Members of the South Windsor Police Department, Capitol Region Emergency Services Team (CREST Tactical and Negotiators), South Windsor Ambulance Corps, South Windsor Fire Department and officers from the Connecticut State Police and Connecticut Parole Board participated in the event.

The scenario-based training challenged officers to respond to an active shooter incident at a local school where they had to locate and contain multiple suspects. The officers had to react to a mock hostage situation in the school as well. 

Earlier in the year police officers were trained in rapid intervention techniques to respond to, and neutralize suspects. Officers practiced single and team tactics for active shooters and deliberate and dynamic techniques for dealing with the variety of floor plan situations encountered in schools and larger buildings.  The officers had to deal with doorways, hallways, stairwells, and large open areas.  Also taught was the coordination of follow up emergency personnel, and conducting evacuations and emergency treatment while still under an active threat.  The training practiced moving safely, assertively, and decisively to engage and neutralize the active threat, thereby preventing the further loss of innocent life. The exercise involved approximately 50 persons.

Cold weather training
The South Windsor Police Department conducted intensified Use of Force training in January and February of 2008. This was a three day training event which encompassed scenario-based force-on-force training as well as live fire training to simulate real life situations in which police officers may find themselves faced with at any given time. The training started with a review of state, federal and department policy on Use of Force and Deadly Force.  Due to the ever changing nature of our country’s legal system, officers are required to conduct periodic policy and law review.  

By conducting the training during the winter months it also allowed for cold weather training.  This entailed training the officers to recognize the symptoms of cold weather injuries as well as learn what preventative measures to take while operating as law enforcement professionals during the cold weather months.  During the live fire portion of the training officers were allowed the opportunity to experiment with various types of gloves to check their effect on the officer’s firearms proficiency. 

A Child is Missing Program
In the summer of 2007, the South Windsor Police received training sponsored by the New Britain Police Department in, “A Child is Missing” Alert System.  A Child is Missing is a national non-profit organization that assists law enforcement in the first few hours of a disappearance. It is a phone-based program that can be used to track children, teens, the elderly and disabled individuals by notifying the community via telephone calls. To date, the program has assisted in the safe recovery of 242 missing persons in the United States.

The organization sends out a recorded phone message to residents in a specified target zone where the missing person was last seen requesting assistance. The program is supported financially through state and federal grants and there is no cost to the police agency.

 Awards
In June of 2007, in response to a series of home invasions around the state, to include South Windsor, our agency agreed to assign an investigator to a task force which planned on focusing on these specific crimes. Agent Michael Thompson was teamed up with partner, Detective Pedro Rosado, from the Connecticut State Police (CSP) to work with the task force on a full time basis throughout the year. The task force was made up of members of the CSP, local law enforcement officers, the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, the US Secret Service and the Connecticut Department of Corrections. To date, Agent Thompson continues to assist the task force. For his efforts, he was honored with the Connecticut State Police Medal for Meritorious Service.  Sergeant Elsie Diaz, Criminal Investigations Manager, received an Outstanding Service award for her assistance in several of the cases.

|Investigator PeggySue Clouser DCI Award
On February 16, 2008 Officer PeggySue Clouser received the “Robert J. Barry Director Emeritus Award” from the University of Southern California’s Delinquency Control Institute (DCI).  Officer Clouser earned that award by finishing their 6 week course at the top of the 22 student class. She was assigned the Youth Service Officer position, which is part of the Criminal Investigations Unit, on December 31, 2007.  She attended the DCI training from January 8, 2008 to February 16, 2008.  

Traffic Services Unit  
Officer Matthew Mainieri became a certified police motorcycle operator instructor through the Connecticut State Police.  In the summer of 2007, Officer Mainieri along with Agent Christopher Duchesne became Traffic Crash Reconstructionists.

 The Traffic Unit continues to be a member of Metro Traffic Services (MTS).  MTS is a regional traffic unit made up of officers from East Windsor, Enfield, Manchester, South Windsor and Windsor.  In April of 2008, MTS conducted the “Speed Limit Obedience Wave” (aka S.L.O.W.).That effort was intended to make our roadways safer throughout the region by conducting dedicated speed limit enforcement.

The enforcement efforts took place in areas where speed was identified as a reoccurring problem or a significant contributor to motor vehicle accidents.  The operation was made possible in part by a grant from the State of Connecticut’s Department of Transportation, and Division of Highway Safety.

In July and August of 2007, several D.U.I checkpoints were conducted regionally by MTS, and included checkpoints in South Windsor.  Between November 12^th and November 25^th, MTS participated in the 2007 Connecticut Click it or Ticket Campaign, which focused on seatbelt safety and compliance. While the primary focus of both events was on the detection and apprehension of intoxicated drivers, and those not in compliance with the seatbelt laws, other motor vehicle laws were enforced at each checkpoint location.   

South Windsor Police prides itself on our high standards and professionalism. We are a customer-driven, service-oriented organization.  Significant resources are put forth to recruit, test, select and train highly qualified men and women. We will continue to strive for the most professional standards of conduct and performance. Your continued participation and feedback will help in guiding us as we continue on the road of excellence.  

Law enforcement is everybody’s business.  

Gary K. Tyler
Chief of Police