Ledyard — When they take office this winter, Ledyard’s first-ever police chief and Ledyard’s new mayor will already have a working relationship that stretches back many years.

That’s because Cmdr. John Rich, who signed his contract Tuesday with Mayor Rodolico establishing Ledyard’s police department, worked for three years as Ledyard’s resident state trooper when mayor-elect Michael Finkelstein was on the force serving as staff sergeant and then as Ledyard’s first lieutenant, a promotion that Rich oversaw.

Rich currently serves as the police commander in the town of Madison. In his career, he has served as executive officer of Troop D of the state police, commander of Internal Affairs for the state police, and detective sergeant of the Eastern District Major Crime Squad. But the return to Ledyard will be a homecoming of sorts. Rich said a majority of the officers and staff were there when he served from 2005 to 2009, and in signing the contract he praised the professionalism of officers he worked with.

“They handle their business with professionalism, and I’m going to try to continue in that track and even raise the game (because) I know I have the people to get the job done,” Rich said. 

Mayor John Rodolico noted that the signing of the contract marked the first official step toward establishing Ledyard’s independent police department, slated to begin in January when the contract goes into effect. As part of Ledyard's charter, the mayor serves as the de facto chief of police until one is appointed, and Rodolico expressed confidence in Rich’s leadership as the force assesses what they will need to provide as the state trooper system is phased out.

“The transition to an independent police department means we will have a trained, capable and confident individual who will serve as our chief,” Rodolico said.

Rodolico said the reason to move to an independent police force was driven by two independent forces: the rising costs of the resident state trooper system and the desire to build a management structure that gives the town more oversight and retains experienced officers longer. He noted that the cost of a single resident trooper was approaching $200,000 annually.

Since around 2009, the town has been looking into establishing an independent police force around the time many other towns in the area followed suit. In Rodolico’s recent memory, the last town that transitioned to an independent police force was the town of Redding in the early 2000s.

Rich pointed out that a number of records management and dispatch systems are provided by the state police and the town would need to create its own systems, as well as a number of other systems that would be resolved once the new police building is completed. But he pointed out that the work would also be an opportunity to re-evaluate the way the town was patrolled in order to ensure that Ledyard was getting the best possible allocation of law enforcement services.

“We need to make sure we’re using our resources in the most efficient and wise way possible and at the same time evaluating the needs of the community going forward … there’s a lot that goes into how we provide the best service for the community,” Rich said.

n.lynch@theday.com