Lt Lydem To Leave The Police Force After 35 Years

By Andrew Gorosko

When David Lydem began working as a town police patrol officer almost 35 years ago, driving through a snowstorm was a different affair.

Often, the set of tire tracks that were left in new-fallen snow behind the rolling wheels of the police car were the only signs of life on the landscape during a storm, he noted.

Today in snowstorms, with a much larger local population and many residents equipped with sport-utility vehicles, motorists are more inclined to brave the elements, making the town’s highways and byways much busier places during heavy snows.

“It was a whole different world” in the 1960s when the town was more rural, less crowded, less hectic and less developed, the lieutenant said.

The police department’s administrative lieutenant has noticed many changes during his nearly 35-year career with the Newtown Police Department, which officially ends July 12, when he retires from service. He is currently the longest-serving veteran on the force.

Following a two-year stint as a military policeman in the army, Lt Lydem in December 1967 joined what was then the town’s tiny constabulary headed by Resident State Trooper James Costello. In those days, the town had four constables. Today, there is a 40-member independent police force, which is authorized to have up to 43 members.

The fortunes of a police force rise and fall across time, as with any organization, the lieutenant observed, noting that the local police department has had its good years and its lesser years. Progress occurs, but it does not necessarily occur in a continuous, straight line, he notes.

The lieutenant said he would retire with both positive and negative memories of his career in law enforcement. “You take the good with the bad,” he said.

While new recruits often state that their prime motive in pursuing police work is helping people in distress, such altruism does not occur as often as one may expect, the lieutenant said. Police very often find themselves in highly negative situations, dealing with the criminal element under particularly adverse circumstances, he said.  

The lieutenant estimates that it takes a solid five years to become a full-fledged patrol officer. Some people develop their abilities quickly. Others take more time to find their way, he notes.

A police officer’s attitude is all-important in terms of how effectively he or she performs, he said. “It’s all self-motivation,” he said.

Some officers like to advance themselves professionally by taking as many instructional courses as possible, but others prefer not to pursue education, instead opting simply to patrol the local roads, he noted.

To be effective, a police officer should operate with composure under stress, in an even-tempered emotional zone, he said.

“Common sense…If you have that, you go a long way to becoming a good police officer,” he said.

Common sense should not be taken for granted, Lt Lydem noted. Being commonsensical, which is manifested in police work by levelheadedness and composure, is a key ingredient to success in law enforcement, he said.

Having a good memory for detail also is a very effective tool in law enforcement, he added.

The length of time a peace officer spends in law enforcement is a personal matter, which hinges on that individual’s interests, he said.

The tendency for some officers to start their law enforcement careers in Newtown, get a few years’ experience here, and then move on to larger police departments probably will not change until the town makes being a young police officer here more financially attractive in terms of salaries and benefits, he said.

Lt Lydem said that the variety of experience that police work presents was a key element in what kept him motivated during his career.

In Newtown today, residents seem to be always in a hurry, seeking yet more town services and being generally more demanding than were the residents of the past, the lieutenant observed.

The residential character of the town has changed, Lt Lydem noted, pointing out that many newer residents live here for only several years before moving elsewhere to further their careers. The local population was not so fluid in the past, Lt Lydem noted.

The lieutenant said he dislikes the town’s rapid development, but it has become a local fact of life. “It’s evident. It’s going to happen,” he said.

The town was one of the fastest growing communities in the state during the 1990s, with its populations increasing by more than 20 percent to just over 25,000 residents in 2000.

With a rapidly growing population have come rapidly increasing real estate prices, Lt Lydem noted, explaining that when he bought his first house here the sale price on that existing home was $22,500. Existing homes today often sell for more than 10 times that amount.

Lt Lydem grew up in Monroe, after which he moved to Newtown, where he still lives. He is married and has two grown daughters, as well as four grandchildren.

For many years, Lt Lydem, 58, has been the keeper of the town’s prominent flagpole and flag on Main Street, which for many people serve as the town’s central symbol. 

After taking the summer off, the lieutenant plans to seek some form of work other than law enforcement. “I’m going to take it day to day,” he said.