Richard J. Colangelo Jr. has been appointed state’s attorney for the Stamford-Norwalk judicial district, supervising prosecutors in the Stamford and Norwalk courthouses.
In addition to supervising assistant state’s attorneys, the state’s attorney appears in court on selected cases and may prosecute cases. Colangelo previously worked as an assistant state’s attorney in state Superior Court in Norwalk and then in Stamford. For a number of years in Stamford, he concentrated on prosecuting sex assault cases.
The state Criminal Justice Commission appointed Colangelo to succeed David I. Cohen, who retired effective today, July 1. The Stamford and Norwalk courthouses hear cases from Darien, Stamford, Norwalk Greenwich, Wilton, Weston and Westport. Senior prosecutors in Norwalk and Stamford courthouses also supervise prosecutors.
Here’s the news release from the state Criminal Justice Commission:
The Honorable Richard N. Palmer, Chair of the Criminal Justice Commission, announced today that the Commission has appointed Richard J. Colangelo, Jr., as State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Stamford-Norwalk.
Attorney Colangelo succeeds David I. Cohen, who is retiring effective July 1, 2015, after serving 37 years as a prosecutor in Stamford and as State’s Attorney for the Stamford-Norwalk district since November 2001.
Attorney Colangelo was appointed by a unanimous vote of the Commission to complete the remainder of the eight-year term for which Attorney Cohen was last appointed as State’s Attorney in 2010.
“The Criminal Justice Commission congratulates Attorney Colangelo on his appointment as State’s Attorney. We are confident that he will be a strong addition to the senior management of the Division of Criminal Justice,” Justice Palmer said. “We also wish to thank all of the outstanding prosecutors who stepped forward and sought this important position.”
“The Commission also wishes to extend its gratitude and appreciation to State’s Attorney Cohen for his nearly four decades of dedicated service to the State of Connecticut and the pursuit of justice. We wish him the best in his retirement,” Justice Palmer added.
Attorney Colangelo joined the Division of Criminal Justice in March 1993 and was promoted to his current position as Senior Assistant State’s Attorney at Part A at Stamford Superior Court in July 2003.
The State’s Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer in the Judicial District of Stamford-Norwalk, which includes the cities of Stamford and Norwalk and the towns of Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Weston, Westport and Wilton. The State’s Attorney oversees the prosecutors and other Division of Criminal Justice staff assigned to the Superior Courts at Stamford and Norwalk.
The Criminal Justice Commission is responsible for the appointment of all state prosecutors in Connecticut.
Illustration by Chris Potter – Modifier: Ibrahim.ID on Wikimedia Commons