Stonington — On Monday, Michael Intrieri was sworn in as the town’s newest patrol officer.

Intrieri, who currently lives in Stonington, grew up in Westerly, and attended Dean College in Franklin, Mass. and the University of New Haven, where he studied criminal justice.

He spent three years with the University of Rhode Island Police Department before moving to Tennessee where he spent five years with the Nashville Metro Police Department.

“I missed home, family, friends,” he said.

Chief Jay DelGrosso said that during the hiring process he repeatedly heard about Intrieri’s “dedication to work, his attention to detail, and his commitment to support peers,” and noted the importance of peer support in a department and town where everyone is like family.

Capt. Todd Olson said, “sometimes people want to come for maybe the money or different reasons, but Michael definitely was just coming home. He went out and did the big city thing and now he’s just coming back to where he grew up.”

Intrieri has some additional training to complete before he begins his duties as a patrol officer, but Olson said the process is faster because, as a lateral hire, he does not have to go to the police academy, and knows the town.

“The benefit he has is that he knows the area. That’s a challenge for somebody if they don’t know the streets,” he said.

Intrieri said Monday that he was thankful for the opportunity and excited to start.