Danbury deputy police chief to retire after 32 years
DANBURY — Weeks away from his retirement, Deputy Police Chief Shaun McColgan said there are several cases in his 32-year career with the police department that stand out.
There was the year-long investigation into a Danbury wrestling coach accused of having inappropriate relationships with students.
He was the lieutenant in charge of the shift when a man stole a car with two children inside, leading officers to chase him around the city until he was captured and the children were rescued, unhurt.
About 15 years ago, he caught the youth who tampered with fire hydrants across the city and shot BB guns and sling shots at cars and buildings. He had tracked them down after they shot his unmarked police car with a BB gun, he said.
“That’s what makes you feel good about the job, when you do something good, you help people out,” said McColgan, who will retire as mandated on June 27, the day after his 65th birthday.
McColgan’s career with the city’s police department has been shaped by his childhood and the home he’s found in the Danbury community.
Hired in 1990 as an officer in Danbury, McColgan has worked as a sergeant, lieutenant and detective.
He became deputy chief in 2015. He’s been in the crime scene unit, a hostage negotiator and crisis intervention officer. He serves on a couple mental health boards that he plans to stay on after retirement.
Among McColgan’s many “personal and professional accomplishments” are his work with officer wellness and the department’s Crisis Intervention Team, Ridenhour said.
“He was instrumental in starting the Crisis Intervention Team several years
ago and he is still passionate about it today,” the chief said. “The same goes for officer wellness. His volunteerism with numerous community organizations is also another great thing about Shaun.”
In Danbury, a clinician from the state is assigned to the department to help with calls where a social worker may be needed.
“Crisis intervention is a worthwhile job that police officers do,” McColgan said. “I’m not opposed to having more social workers help us because they’re
the experts.”
What shaped him
McColgan worked in the youth bureau, now known as the special victims unit. Sometimes he’d talk to troubled youth who would tell him he couldn’t understand what they were going through at home.
So he’d tell them his story of growing up with a physically abusive father who suffered from alcoholism and a mother who struggled with mental health.
“Often times that was all it took to develop a relationship with that kid, something to the effect of, ‘Oh crap, you had it worse than I do,’” McColgan said.
McColgan grew up as one of nine children in New York City. When their parents couldn’t care for them, they were split up to live with other relatives. Around 13 or 14, a distant cousin opened a residence for homeless boys in upstate New York and invited him to stay there. The experience helped build his self-esteem.
“That kind of saved me,” McColgan said.
He and the other kids cared for animals, as well as elderly people and people with disabilities. That’s how he fell in love with the rural environment that living in Danbury brings him.
McColgan is also the part-time park ranger at Bear Mountain Reservation, where he rents the city-owned cottage there and does security checks of the parking lot, among other duties.
Becoming a cop
McColgan was inspired by his grandfather, a detective and sergeant in the New York Police Department, to become a police officer.
“He was my role model, so I always wanted to be a police officer growing up,” he said. “I was going to be either a police officer, or my other thing I was thinking about (was) being a priest, but definitely police officer was my No. 1 choice.”
His first job in 1984 was with the NYPD as a housing cop, which meant he patrolled the housing projects in New York City. But high crime made living in the city “rough,” and he was attracted to the rural environment he had loved from his time with the residence for homeless boys.
He applied to departments around Danbury and was hired by the city in 1990. He was assigned to walk the downtown beat, where he got to know Danburians and fell in love with the city’s size and diversity.
“I love everything about this city,” said McColgan, adding he’s involved in the Lion’s Club, Exchange Club and a Celtic band. His three adult children grew up in Danbury and New Fairfield.
“What’s there not to like about Danbury?” he added. “It does not have a high crime rate. It’s just an idyllic setting.”
He said he’ll miss not coming to work every day.
“I’m going to miss the camaraderie of all the officers you work with,” McColgan said. “I’m going to miss the excitement of the job, of responding to the hot calls, whenever they may be. I’m going to miss it all, but I’m going to stay right here in the city and remain a part of the city.”