Stonington — Two weeks ago, retiring police Chief J. Darren Stewart got a ride home from Capt. Todd Olson on his last day of work.

As they drove, Stewart addressed the department over the radio as he signed off for the last time.

"I wish all the members of the Stonington Police Department the very best. May you always be safe and true to the profession and have the vision needed to protect the public. I thank each and every one of you for the honor to work with you and lead you for many years as chief. I look forward to hearing (about) the future honorable and noble deeds that have given the police department here in Stonington a stellar reputation," he said. "Stay safe. ST-30 signing off. Godspeed."

After a few seconds, longtime dispatcher Allyson Pollart responded over the radio.

"All members of the Stonington Police Department wish you a happy and healthy retirement and congratulate you on your many years of service, not only to the department but the citizens of this town," she said. "We hope you enjoy your retirement and you will never be forgotten at this police department."

It was the end of a 38½-year-long career at the police department for Stewart, who was hired when he was just 19 years old. For the past 14 years he has led the department, making him the longest-serving chief in the town's history.

Now the 58-year-old Stewart has begun a new career as chief of adjudication for the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles, a job that allows him to use his experience in law enforcement and record keeping.

But Stewart said he will miss the "phenomenal people in the department who make a difference every day."

"They help people every day. They save people's lives. My proudest moments are when they do something great. They do it every day but you don't hear about it," he said as he rattled off recent incidents in which officers used Narcan, the opioid overdose-reversal drug, and CPR to save people. "I have nothing but respect for the officers and support staff in the department."

He said it was the support from the members of the department and the Board of Police Commissioners along with his wife, Beth, and his three daughters that allowed him to successfully lead the department and accomplish the things he wanted to get done.

"You can't do this yourself," he said.

This included the department upgrading its equipment so it could be the first municipal department to join the state police radio system, which allows officers here to communicate with other departments and state agencies. Under Stewart, the department also implemented its chaplain program, acquired a new police boat and upgraded the station's mechanical systems and computer technology. More recently, the department partnered with the New London-based social services agency Safe Futures, which provides a victim advocate to help police review domestic violence calls and follow up with victims.

The radio system project earned the town a 2018 General Entry Municipal Excellence Award from The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.  

Stewart said his goal has always been to give his officers the tools they need to do the job, something he said he vowed to do after an experience he had as a young officer when the front end of an old cruiser he was driving collapsed at a stoplight because it has so many miles on it.

Stewart said as chief he always worked to make the department better, and that began with asking, "where are we going, where do we want to be, what does a certain development mean for the police department and are we ready for what is coming?"

Asked what he will not miss about the job, Stewart said, "death."

He said the worst duty an officer has is to go to a home to tell a family "that their loved one is no longer with us." He said that task led him to implement the chaplain program, in which local religious leaders assist officers with such notifications and other duties.

In addition to serving as chief, Stewart has had a second career in academia. He has long taught at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I., at the Connecticut state police academy and the University of Connecticut, where he gave a speech at the 2017 graduation ceremony of the College of Continuing Education.

Olson, the department's second in command, said he and Stewart always worked very well as a team. He said Stewart always had a wealth of knowledge about the town and its people and always knew the history of an issue.

"He truly was concerned about and took care of this town," Olson said.

On Monday at 10 a.m., the department will swear in Jay DelGrosso, who began his career as a Stonington officer before moving on to the state police, as the new chief.

Stewart knows DelGrosso well.

"Jay never forgot where his roots were. He's stayed close with the people he worked with here, including myself," Stewart said.

He said that while DelGrosso will make his own way as chief, he is available if his successor needs him.

"I'm a phone call away," he said.

 j.wojtas@theday.com