Montville — Dave Radford enjoys a good mystery.

Whether analyzing scuff marks during accident reconstructions, digging through a suspect's social media activity or traveling out of state to interview witnesses in a child neglect case, Radford's two decades with the Montville Police Department have given him plenty of chances to connect the dots just like the cops in the "old school police shows" he watched as a kid.

"I just had that desire to get into this line of work," Radford, 47, said in a recent interview. "And the cliché of wanting to help other people — I always had that interest."

Radford, who lives in Montville and grew up in Oakdale, would have celebrated 10 years as a town detective in February. Instead, surrounded by family, friends and current and former colleagues in a packed Town Hall Monday, Radford was sworn in before the Public Safety Commission as the new police lieutenant. The promotion makes Radford the top administrator in the department, a role long held by Leonard Bunnell, who retired in October after 42 years on the Montville police force.

"I had been thinking about it for awhile," Radford said about the new gig. "There's not many of us that do a full career in Montville. I'm one of the handful who had been here since day one. I've seen all aspects of everything with the department, in high times and low times. We need to move the department forward into the future and change with the times and that's what my goal is."

Bunnell on Monday said Radford's promotion was well deserved, noting the detective had "a boatload of experience and training."

Radford studied criminal justice at the University of New Haven after graduating from Saint Bernard School. He's a former volunteer and part-time firefighter who also previously served as police union president.

Before joining the Montville police department, he worked a few security jobs including at Foxwoods Resort Casino and on the Block Island Ferry, where he met his wife, Stacy. The couple have two children, Rebecca, a freshman at Eastern Connecticut State University, and Tyler, a freshman at Montville High School who Radford coached in soccer for many years.

Mayor Ron McDaniel picked Radford after what he called an exhaustive review of solid candidates, describing it as "not an easy decision" but calling Radford a "the right guy at the right time ... a go-to guy."

"Dave brings an extraordinary work history and experience to the position and I know he will exceed even my grand expectations," McDaniel said. "I am extremely proud of Detective Radford's accomplishments and I am convinced that he is the right person to lead the Montville Police Department into the future."

Radford said while local police work well with state police, he shares Bunnell's vision of eventually transforming the department into an independent force no longer under the Resident State Trooper program.

"In the future I hope to work together with the Town Council and mayor and get the truth out there to the public on what is needed and what the cost could be to move us to an independent department," he said. "It seems scary and it seems costly but if done properly, it could work very well and benefit the town."

Resident State Trooper Sgt. Mark Juhola said Radford would be "a fantastic lieutenant. We're going to work hand in hand and the town will support him."

Radford noted the department's biggest challenge was staffing, especially after seven retirements last year. The department has hired a handful of candidates, two of them currently in the police academy and one who will join the academy this spring.

"It's taxing on the guys but a lot of them are stepping up and doing what they have to do," he said.

Radford said the department was on track to replace three vehicles per year, and he noted he's pushing for ramping up Taser and firearms training, including "different scenarios, more hands-on and active training other than just standing and shooting at a piece of paper."

b.kail@theday.com