Ridgefield Police Department

Ridgefield Police Department

Our Mission

The prime function of the Ridgefield Police Department is to protect life, liberty and property, to preserve the peace and public order, to prevent and repress crime, to detect violations of Law and to apprehend violators and prosecute those apprehended. The prime function shall be accomplished through service to our Community in providing safety and an improved quality of life, by developing Community partnerships and excellence in policing reinforced through the three pillars of character and strength: Integrity, Courage and Justice.

Integrity:
We obey the Law and respect the human dignity of all people. We are committed to honesty and ethical behavior in all our actions. We accept individual responsibility and accountability for our actions and decisions.

We are dedicated to excellence in service to our Community and to our fellow Officers. We are committed to excellence in our personal performance and professionalism seeking justice in all our efforts.

Justice:
We, as an agency, will work toward the achievement of the Department’s prime function. We will use justice as the center pillar of strength and character, tirelessly enforcing all Laws and Ordinances with justice as our goal. We will be fair and loyal to our Community in our pursuit of justice.

We will seek justice through fairness, strength, respect and compassion in our interactions with the people we serve.

Courage:
We will be courageous in our pursuit of justice, using integrity as our guide.

We will have the strength to withstand unethical pressure, fear or danger.

We will be courageous in protecting our Community and the people we serve.

We will be courageous in supporting our fellow Officers as we pursue justice.

We will never betray our badge, the symbol of our office.

We will have the courage to hold ourselves accountable for our actions and others accountable for their actions.

We will courageously uphold the Constitution of the United States of America, the State of Connecticut and the Laws and Ordinances of the Town of Ridgefield.

Administrative Staff

The Executive Officer is Major Donald J. McGran who was unanimously appointed to this position by the Police Commission on October 22, 2008, upon the recommendation of Chief John Roche, when the former Major John Roche was officially appointed to the position of Chief on October 8, 2008 by a unanimous vote of the Police Commission members. 
Major Roche had taken command of the Executive Officer position upon the selection of the former Major Richard Ligi to the position of Chief of Police in 1999. 
The former Major Ligi had taken command of this office upon the retirement of Major Richard Bellagamba who served as the Department's first Executive Officer from July 1, 1977 to July 1, 1996.
In addition to being in command of the Department in the absence of the Chief, Major McGran oversees the Captains, is the Chairman of the Commendation Board, is in charge of the applicant testing process, acts as the Internal Affairs Officer, verifies Payroll before submission to Town Hall, and is responsible for the Department's schedule. 
Major McGran may be contacted at 203 431-2796, Monday through Friday.

The Uniform Division Commander of the Ridgefield Police Department is Captain Michael Casey (formerly the Detective Division Commander) who took over this position in December 2008.  The Uniform Division Commander oversees all sworn Officers to include Sergeants and Lieutenants. The Uniform Division Commander is also the Court Liaison regarding motor vehicle matters, is responsible for all extra duty and special Town events and is responsible for the Records Division of the Department.  
Captain Michael Casey may be contacted at 203 431.2799, Monday through Friday.

The Detective Division Commander of the Ridgefield Police Department is Captain Stephen Brown (formerly the Director of Training / Public Relations) who took over this position in December 2008.  The Detective Division Commander supervises four Detectives (one of those Detectives also serves as the Department's Youth Officer).  Captain Brown also serves as Court Liaison regarding criminal matters. The Detective Division can be contacted directly by the following numbers:
          203 431-2798 - Captain Stephen Brown (Monday through Friday)
          203 431-2794 - Detective Division
          203 431-2345 - Drug Tip Hotline / Crime Watch
          203 431-2741 - Fax

The Director of Training is Captain Clifford Scharf who was sworn in to this position on February 4, 2009 as a result of in-house promotional testing during the month of January 2009.  The Director of Training oversees Departmental training programs and serves as a liaison to the Connecticut Police Academy.  The Director of Training also leads the Department's Accident Investigation Team, Crime Prevention Programs, Public Relations Programs and D.A.R.E.
          203 431-2797 - Captain Clifford Scharf (Monday through Friday)   
          203 431-2741 - Fax 

Uniform Division

The Uniform Division is composed of all the uniformed Officers of the Ridgefield Police Department who are easily recognizable in the colors of the R.P.D. - gray and maroon. The Uniform Division is the largest division of the Department and supplies 24/7 patrol to the Town of Ridgefield. This Division also provides:

Aid to Motorists: The patrol vehicles are well equipped to give assistance to residents.  Jumper cables, oxygen units and medical supply kits (to include defibrillators) are some of the equipment available to Patrol Officers to assist people in need.

Honor Guard: The Department maintains a six member Honor Guard for special assignments, e.g., funerals for fallen Officers, Town dignitaries and other important functions.

Funeral Escorts: The Department provides escorts to families from local houses of worship to Town cemeteries.

Memorial Plaque Program: Officers who have served the Town of Ridgefield and have passed away are honored both on Memorial Day through a grave site ceremony and memorialized via a plaque mounted at their grave site.

Youth Officer

The Youth Officer, Detective Mark Giglio, is directly responsible for all juvenile cases that are handled by the Department which he investigates and closes by one of the following dispositions:
       Handles In-House
       Referral to Juvenile Court
       Referral to Welfare Agency
       Referral to Outside Agency
       Referral to Superior Court

Detective Giglio also investigates adult cases and teaches D.A.R.E.