Two Recruits Join Police Department As Patrol Officers

By Andrew Gorosko

To fill vacancies created by recent departures, the town has hired two people as police patrol officers — Matt Chesser and Larissa Nosal.

Officer Chesser, 32, and Officer Nosal, 31, are now studying the basics of law enforcement at the state’s Municipal Police Academy in Meriden. They are expected to start field training in Newtown in June, after they graduate from the police academy. After 16 weeks of field training, they are expected to start patrolling independently in October.

The two recruits took their oaths of office in ceremonies held January 3 at Town Hall South. They replace patrol officers Dominick Salvatore and Louis Ferreira who recently left the police department.

Officer Nosal, who is a Newtown resident, said she hopes to serve the community as a police officer in a constructive and productive manner. Officer Nosal, who is single, said she looks forward to the law enforcement aspect of police work. She said she looks forward to being trained in the latest law enforcement techniques.

She is a student at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury seeking a bachelor’s degree in the field of justice and law administration. Ms Nosal grew up in Stamford and graduated from Westhill High School there.

A Newtown resident since 1997, Ms Nosal has worked in the fields of veterinary medicine and animal control, as well as automobile sales.

She enjoys kayaking, flyfishing, horseback riding, and making home improvements.

Officer Chesser, who is single, grew up in New Milford, graduating from New Milford High School with the Class of 1992. He later attended the University of Connecticut, where he received a bachelor’s degree in biology, with a minor course of studies in psychology. He said he hopes to enter a master’s degree program with the aid of the college tuition program offered by the police department.

For the past several years, Officer Chesser has lived in Vermont while working at the Stratton Mountain ski resort.

He said he looks forward to working as a proactive police officer, becoming involved in both the social aid and law enforcement aspects of the job. The nature of police work holds the prospect of excitement, he added.

“I look forward to the challenge,” he said.

Officer Chesser said he will focus on the fundamentals of policing as he pursues training at the police academy.

 Mr Chesser enjoys various outdoor sports, including snowboarding, hiking, and golf.

Town police officer candidates are subject to medical examinations, psychological testing, polygraph tests, and personal background checks. The lengthy police hiring process is designed to find the people who are best suited for police work.

Police patrol officers serve a one-year probationary period, during which their performance is closely monitored to ensure they meet police department standards.

The patrol officer position has a starting pay of $40,298 annually, plus fringe benefits. Such pay rises rapidly during the first five years of an officer’s tenure.

The two hirings bring the police department’s staff up to 42 sworn officers, leaving two vacancies in the organization. Ms Nosal’s hiring brings to six the number of town female police officers.

Of their hiring, Police Chief Michael Kehoe said this week, “They did very well in the hiring process.”

The pair had good scores on written tests, did well in interviews, were capable during physical agility testing, demonstrated intelligence, and displayed proper demeanor, he said.

The police chief termed their hiring “a nice fit with the Town of Newtown,” noting that each of the two demonstrated good interpersonal skills.