New police chief takes office

EAST HAMPTON — Bolstered by the presence of three dozen professional colleagues, Dennis Woessner was officially sworn in as the town’s new — and ninth — police chief on Tuesday.

A 30-year veteran of service in the Glastonbury Police Department, Woessner began work on Monday.

The swearing-in ceremony was held Tuesday to coincide with a Town Council meeting, which, for the ceremony, was held in the T-Bell room at the high school. Woessner was sworn in by Town Clerk Sandra Wieleba. His wife, Sherrill, pinned his badge on his white shirt, and the couple celebrated the achievement with a kiss.

Woessner was selected from among 35 applicants for the position. He fills the vacancy that was created when Chief Sean D. Cox

retired from the force on Dec. 31.

Cox and Thomas Davoren, the former chief of Groton City who served as acting chief following Cox’s departure, were on hand for the ceremony to welcome Woessner — as were rankand-file officers and commanders from a variety of departments and agencies.

The preponderance of law-enforcement officers among the 85 people at the event led Town Manager Michael Maniscalco to observe, “This is probably one of the safest rooms in East Hampton.” The fact so many officers attended was a testament to the regard in which Woessner is held by his colleagues, he added.

“The role of police chief in East Hampton is like being chief anywhere else,” Maniscalco said. “You are our public safety individual,” and the town’s 13,000 residents look to their chief to keep them safe.

“But you’re not doing it alone. You have a team of wonderful employees and excellent public officials,” all equally committed to service to the community, he said.

However, “We have some expectations for you that you will do, efficiently and effectively, the best job possible for our residents.”

The manager acknowledged that, too often, Woessner will “see people in their worst moments.” He asked the new chief to treat them with “compassion and transparency.”

Town Council Chairwoman Melissa H. Engel said how “very, very happy” she was to have Woessner on board as chief. “You have very large shoes to fill,” she said, referring to Cox, who “did an excellent job” — as did Davoren, she said.

If he had wanted stay on as chief on a full-time basis, “We would have kept Tom,” Engel said, before quickly adding, “That was before we met you.”

Woessner began by thanking the council, Maniscalco, and the present and former chiefs and officers who had assembled for the ceremony. “I am very overwhelmed to be selected,” he said. “It is an honor I do not take lightly.”

When he came to work Monday morning, “I had nothing but good interactions (with the officers),” he said. And Woessner said he knew “this was a good place to work” when he went to speak to Maniscalco, who had taken last week off.

Woessner found the door to the manager’s office sealed with crime-scene tape and his desk “Saran wrapped.”

A picture of the desk shrouded in clear wrap prompted one observer to wryly comment that the desk gave new meaning to transparency in government.

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about the department,” Woessner said, promising to move his force ahead through a team effort.

He intends to build “a partnership that will make this a good place to live,” he said.

Jeff Mill / Hearst Connecticut Media Dennis Woessner kisses his wife, Sherrill, after she pinned on his badge as the new police chief of the East Hampton Police Department on Tuesday.