3 veteran Norwich police officers promoted
Norwich — Three veteran Norwich police officers with extensive training backgrounds were promoted Thursday in what Police Chief Louis Fusaro Sr. called a difficult selection process.
Sgt. Christopher Conley was promoted to lieutenant, and officers Josip Peperni and Christopher Merrill were promoted to sergeant in a ceremony attended by several dozen family members, current and retired police officers from Norwich and state police, city officials and friends.
Fusaro called promoting officers “one of the most gratifying” duties of his position. Twenty officers initially applied for the two sergeant positions and several for the lieutenant position, the chief said.
Conley, who lives in Franklin, is a 17- year Norwich police veteran, serving as a patrol officer, training officer, FBI-certified crisis negotiator and crisis intervention officer, a detective, school resource officer and as sergeant on the midnight shift and later the daytime shift.
Conley twice received the Norwich Police Award for Exceptional Service in 2009 and 2013. He also serves on the executive board as supervisor delegate for the United Public Service Employees Union/ COPS Division.
Conley will serve as evening shift commander.
Conley called his wife, Darlene, “my real boss,” and said his new lieutenant bars belong to her. The couple have three children, Dylan, Hailey and Maya.
Peperni, a 14-year Norwich police officer, has followed a similar career path, serving as a patrol officer, a crisis intervention officer and school resource officer.
Peperni currently is president of the UPSEU/ COPS union, a position he will relinquish following contract negotiations in the near future, Peperni said. He will serve as administrative supervisor.
Peperni and his wife, Katie, live in Lyme and have two sons, Nikita and Dakota.
Merrill, a 12- year department veteran and 18-year police officer, also is a decorated officer, having received the Medal of Valor, Medal for Bravery, Award for Exceptional Service and 10 perfect attendance awards. He has served as a patrol officer, a training officer and recruitment officer.
Merrill lives in Colchester with his wife, Bridget, and their children, Hannah and Aubrey.
In addition to thanking their families, all three officers dedicated much of their speeches Thursday to past and current supervisors — many of whom were in the station conference room for the ceremony.
Peperni said he joined the force as a cocky, overconfident young officer.
“I thought I knew everything,” he said.
On one busy midnight shift, he and then- Officer Darren Powers — now a sergeant — had just brought a drug deal- er suspect into custody when they were called out to a fight in Taftville.
After that incident subsided, Powers told Peperni he had to return to the station immediately. Powers saw that Peperni’s holster was empty. He had left his service revolver behind.
“Hooo boy!” Peperni said recalling the incident.
One of the proudest attendees Thursday was Kazimir Peperni. With a thick accent, the father of the new sergeant repeatedly thanked Fusaro for having such confidence in his son.
Peperni immigrated to the United States from the former Yugoslavia — now Bosnia — in 1969 with his wife, Reljka, and two young children for a job as a tool-and-die worker.
He felt his son’s success is part of the American Dream he and his wife sought for their four children.
“I came with two children, me, my wife, two suitcases and some change in my pocket,” the elder Peperni said. “We did all right.”