Daniel Skoumbros Darien P.D.

Darien Police Department Promotes Sergeant to Rank of Lieutenant, Two Officers to Sergeant

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The Darien Police Commission and Police Chief Ray Osborne are pleased to announce the promotion of the following three officers who were selected for their respective positions on Wednesday, May 29:

— an announcement from Darien Police Department

Sgt. Nick Aranzullo was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Aranzullo started with the department in 2005. In 2009, Aranzullo assisted with the implementation of the K-9 program, ultimately forming the department’s first K-9 unit with K-9 partner “Zulu.”

Aranzullo served in the Detective Bureau and was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2017. Officer Derek Mulcahy was promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

Police Winter

Find Out About the Past and Present Darien Police Department March 22 at the Depot

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Find out about the history and present organization of the Darien Police Department in a one-hour presentation by two police detectives Thursday evening, March 22 at the Depot. Detectives Mark Cappelli and James Palmieri will talk about the department from 7 to 8 p.m. They’ll discuss the many teams, bureaus and collaborations within the building at 25 Hecker Ave. “The Darien Police Association strongly and generously supports the Depot and its programs — and always is there to keep an eye on us!” the Depot said in an announcement. “Please bring a friend and join us for an hour.”

Ray Osborne Oath Police Chief 03-16-17

Police Chief Ray Osborne’s Speech at His Swearing-In Ceremony Wednesday at Darien Town Hall

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Darien’s new police chief, Ray Osborne, gave these comments Wednesday after he was sworn in as the town’s 10th chief of police in Darien Town Hall:

[Darienite.com will publish a story about the event, but we wanted to publish the new chief’s comments sooner. A few short phrases were not picked up in the recording made by Darienite.com, but we believed we have all the important statements. The event was recorded by Darien TV79, which likely has all the words.]

Before making a few comments, I would just like to take the opportunity to thank a few people. First, I would like to thank the Darien Police Commission for the confidence they have shown in me fort appointing me to be chief of the Darien Police Department. The chief’s office comes with some awesome responsibilities, and thank you for the faith that you’ve shown me. […]

Secondly, I would like to thank my good friend, Duane Lovello.

Raymond Osborne Capt. Darien Police Chief 02-02-17

Police Commission Offers Capt Raymond Osborne Police Chief Job [UPDATE]

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Update, Thursday: Darienite.com broke the news that Capt. Raymond Osborne had been chosen as the next Darien police chief on Wednesday afternoon. Here’s the Thursday announcement from the Police Commission:

At a meeting of the Darien Police Commission held on February 1, 2017, the Commission named Capt. Ray Osborne to succeed retiring Police Chief Duane Lovello; Lovello’s last day as chief is Feb. 15. Police Commissioners Paul Johnson, Kim Huffard, and Tom Joyce are tasked by Town Charter with appointing the Town’s police chief. In a statement released by the Commission, Chairman Paul Johnson stated:

“The Police Commission is proud to announce that we unanimously voted to name Capt. Raymond Osborne as the tenth Chief of the Darien Police Department.

Duane Lovello

Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello Announces Retirement — to Leave Feb 15

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Darien Police Chief Duane J. Lovello, a 35-year veteran of the Darien Police Department, will retire on Feb 15, 2017.  Lovello notified the Darien Police Commission and First Selectman Jayme Stevenson of his decision earlier this week. “It’s just time.  I’ve had a career that was challenging, rewarding and fulfilling.  I am going to miss it, but it’s the right time for me to move on.”

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— This announcement is from the Darien Police Department. _____________

Lovello began his career with the Department in December of 1981.  He was transferred to the Detective Division in October of 1986, and was promoted to sergeant in July of 1993, lieutenant in September 2000 and captain in December 2000. Upon the retirement of former Chief Hugh McManus, the Darien Police Commission named Lovello Darien’s ninth chief of police. Lovello was sworn into office in March 2005.

Marine Unit Police Boat 911-15-16

Want to Buy Darien’s Former Police Boat? Make a Bid

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After nearly a decade patrolling the waters off Darien’s shores and sometimes rescuing boaters, Darien Police Department is selling its 26-foot, 2007 Glacier Bay 2690 patrol boat to the highest bidder. The boat, built in 2006 by Glacier Bay Inc. in Monroe, Wash. and a mainstay of the department’s Marine Unit, was replaced last month with a new boat, so now the town is selling the “express cruising catamaran” to get back a bit of the money put into it. The vessel is sold “as is” with no warranty. It has twin Evinrude gas engines with 175 horsepower and a trailer is included.

police boat Darien police boat

New Darien Police Boat Now in Service

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The Darien Police Marine Division placed a new vessel in service this month. 

After approximately a year of waiting for it to be built to custom specifications in Bremerton, Wa., the 27-foot Safeboat Full Cabin Defender arrived in Darien on Oct. 4. ______________

— an announcement from Darien Police

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Powered by twin Evinrude 300 hp motors, the boat has an aluminum hull and a foam collar allowing for “close up” operational work. Thanks to The Darien Foundation for Technology & Community, the boat is equipped with several electronic components that will ensure the safety of the officers while performing their duties and allowing a more efficient response to emergencies on the water. Some of the boat’s features include:

Roof mounted and stabilized FLIR (forward looking infrared)
Down Vision and Side Scan Sonar
Remote control search lights
High powered flood and LED exterior lighting
Air conditioned cabin
Chart plotter, GPS, and radar systems
Sirius XM Marine Weather Receiver
Commercial Grade VHF Radios
MDT (Mobile Data Terminal)
Rear Deck Video Camera

The Safeboat replaces a 10 year old 27’ Glacier Bay dual hull vessel that served the Marine Division well and now will be put up for sale.  Due to growing maintenance costs, general wear and tear, and a demand for year round responses to emergencies, the decision was made in 2015 to pursue a new make and design so that the Marine Division can better accommodate the boating public in our area.

New Recruits Darien Police Department 9-19-16

Four Probationary Officers Sworn in at Darien Police Department

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Darien Police Department has four new probationary officers, sworn in Monday night in front of their families and backed by good wishes from Police Chief Duane Lovello and town officials. The department’s newest sworn officers will attend police academy training in Milford for 25 or 26 weeks, starting Oct. 3, Lovello said. “They’ll come back here for 12 weeks of field training,” Lovello said. “Then we turn them loose” on the town, he joked.

Jeremiah Johnson 9-18-16

Darien Police Sergeant Recognized by U.S. Justice Dept Data & Science Program

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Darien Police Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, Ph.D., is one of 11 law enforcement professionals nationwide to be selected for participation in the U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) program. 
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— an announcement (slightly edited) from Darien Police Department
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In a notification letter, Dr. Nancy Rodriguez, Director of the NIJ, said Johnson’s selection was in “recognition of Sgt. Johnson’s ability to effectively infuse research into policy development within the Darien Police Department …”

The LEADS program carries a goal of “identifying and developing the next generation of law enforcement leadership, and encouraging the use of evidence-based research to advance criminal justice throughout the nation.”
Johnson will travel to San Diego, California in October to participate in round-table discussions including the International Association of Police Chiefs Research and Advisory Committee and the NIJ’s research track “What Works and What Matters in Policing.” “This is not only an extraordinary honor for Sgt. Johnson and the Darien Police Department but also a tremendous opportunity for Sgt. Johnson to bring back to Darien recommendations and new ideas in furtherance of excellence,” Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello said.

Resources Tool Box web page Darien Police Department 9-14-16

Darien Police Website Now Has ‘Resources Toolbox’ for Families, Friends of People with Destructive Behaviors

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Darien police announced Wednesday that its website now has a “Resources Toolbox” for families, friends and caregivers of people with various destructive behaviors, like drug-taking, bullying, suicide or dating violence. Here’s the announcement:
Too often, parents, spouses, friends, and caregivers find themselves confronted with issues they may be ill-equipped to deal with. While the opioid crisis is certainly among the most frightening – and certainly among the most dangerous – other issues, such as bullying, suicide, and dating violence, can leave persons looking for resources. We understand that persons may be hesitant to publicly reach out for assistance.  To that end, the Darien Police Department has attached a ‘Resources Toolbox’ to our website. The Toolbox can be accessed by simply clicking on the ‘Services’ tab at the upper right of the homepage and selecting the ‘Resources Toolbox’ tab.  Here you will find links to a host of resources that we hope can assist in navigating what can be treacherous terrain.

Nope.

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Darien’s town government website appears to be incapable of telling the public when a town government meeting has been cancelled. The meeting shown here did not take place. Darienite.com expends considerable time and effort to get to Police Commission meetings which are cancelled but not shown as cancelled on the town government website. Can that really be so hard to do?  

Matthew McGee Racial Profiling Allegation 7-25-16

UPDATE: More Details Emerge on Alleged Racial Profiling Stop of Black Man in Tokeneke

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Update, 9:35 p.m.:

More details came out Monday about a recent Darien police traffic stop of a black man who was riding his bicycle to work in Tokeneke that is alleged to have been a case of racial profiling. The details have come from both police and the man who was stopped. The man, Matthew McGee of Bridgeport, spoke from the audience at Darien Library toward the end of a panel discussion on the general topic of race relations in America. McGee said the traffic stop was disturbing. He said police shouldn’t have suspected him of anything, and that he was minding his own business riding his bicycle to work.

Darien Police Station

Police Commission Promotes Lt. Raymond Osborne to Captain, Several Others Move up in Ranks

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Darien police Lt. Raymond Osborne will become a captain, two sergeants will be promoted to lieutenant and two detectives will be promoted to sergeant, the Police Commission decided Wednesday in a series of moves to fill recent vacancies in the department. Osborne will oversee the Field Services Bureau, replacing Capt. Gary Pavia, who recently retired. Field Services includes not only the Patrol Division but also the Detective Division, recently commanded by Lt. Ronald Bussell, who also recently retired. (A replacement for Bussell was not announced.) The bureau also includes the Youth and Marine divisions, in which nearly all of the department’s sworn officers work. These two sergeants, Robert Shreders and Thomas “TJ” Whyte, were each promoted to lieutenant.

Darien Police SUV on Road

Two Darien Police Officers Commended for Trying to Save a Life on I-95

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Two Darien police officers were commended for trying to save a life of the occupant of a vehicle that had caught fire on Interstate 95, with one of the officers praised for acting at “substantial risk to his own safety.” The accident occurred just before 5:44 p.m., Wednesday, April 6, when Jimmy Munoz, a 35-year-old Bridgeport cosmetologist lost control of his Honda Pilot in the southbound lanes of I-95 just before the Darien South rest stop. Munoz’ vehicle first swerved left, toward the center divider, then right, going across the highway and into some trees off the shoulder. His SUV hit some trees and caught on fire while Munoz was trapped inside, according to a Connecticut Post report. A Stamford police officer, Hugh Mullin, was driving home, saw the crashed vehicle burning, and tried to help a state police trooper get Munoz out of it.

Darien Police Sign

Seven Darien Police Officers Commended for Arresting Vehicle Burglary Suspects

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Seven Darien police officers have been commended by Police Chief Duane Lovello for their work in arresting two teenagers accused of overnight thefts from 14 vehicles parked on and around Intervale Road in May. In a memo that Lovello shared with the Police Commission last week, he praised the seven officers for good teamwork in setting up a perimeter and arresting the two after police started getting calls from residents at about 5:30 a.m. on May 4. “The rapid and coordinated response of the officers resulted in a most positive outcome,” Lovello said in his memo. As recounted later that day in Darienite.com, (with quotes from a police news release):
[O]n Devon Road, Officers Daniel Noto and Daniel Gorton found a subject who matched the caller’s description. Police determined the subject, a 17-year-old Stamford boy, was one of the two burglars, and they arrested him.