Groton Town Police Promote, Swear In Seven

Groton Town Police Department promoted a captain, a lieutenant, three sergeants and swore in two new police recruits during a ceremony Thursday at the Groton Senior Center. 

The police department also honored a shift commander who will officially retire Aug. 4 after serving 29 years.

“You hate to lose experienced officers, veteran officers,” Chief Michael Crowley said. “But it’s also exciting to promote from within. These are the future of the department.”

The police officers promoted or sworn in yesterday are below:

• Lt. Steven Sinagra was promoted to captain. Sinagra was hired in May 1989, served as a patrol officer and spent a year and a half on the Statewide Narcotics Task Force. He worked as a detective in Groton, served in the special services division, and was promoted to sergeant in 2001, then to lieutenant in 2007. For the last year, Sinagra has been serving as an administrative lieutenant.  As captain, he will be the third senior ranking officer in the department and oversee the detectives, special services and records divisions as well as the patrol division when the deputy chief is not available.

• Sgt. Jeffrey Scribner was promoted to lieutenant. Scribner was hired in 1995, promoted to sergeant in 2006, and for the past ten months has been an acting shift commander. He has served as a school resource officer, member of the SWAT team, a field training officer, and on the Statewide Narcotics Task Force. Scribner also runs the “Click it or Ticket” campaign and the motor vehicle enforcement unit.

• Investigator Douglas Hoffman was promoted to sergeant. Hoffman is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a fourth-generation police officer, and an ordained deacon on the Catholic Church. He was hired in 1987, served nine years as a canine handler, and in 2002 was promoted to youth officer. He is a pistol, rifle and taser instructor.

• Patrol Officer Brian Dawson was promoted to sergeant. Dawson was a U.S. Marine for 12 years, has a bachelor’s degree from University of Connecticut and was hired by the police department in 2000. He has served as an acting detective, an acting sergeant, and a firearms instructor. He’s also a motor officer.

• Investigator Kelly Crandall was promoted to sergeant. Crandall was hired in 1995, served as a field training officer and was promoted to investigator in the special services division in 2005. She handles cases involving child sexual abuse and sexual assault, is involved in community policing and crime prevention, D.A.R.E., and the juvenile review board. She also serves as a crisis negotiator and as team captain of the Special Olympics.

• Phillip Fazzino was sworn in as a patrol officer. Fazzino is finishing his degree at the University of Connecticut, and has served as a community service officer for the Waterford and Stonington Police departments.

• Heather McClelland was sworn in as a patrol officer. McClelland graduated from Lafayette College in 2002, and earned a master’s degree in liberal studies from Wesleyan University in 2006. She the women’s lacrosse coach for Connecticut College.

• Lt. Benjamin Carpenter is retiring after 29 years. Carpenter has served in nearly every capacity in the department; he was a patrol officer, canine handler, bicycling officer, community policing officer, and field training officer. He was promoted to youth officer, and then to patrol sergeant, then to a patrol commander in 2007. Since then, he’s commanded the midnight shift. He is also a member of the SWAT, the dive team, the marine patrol, and coordinator of the color guard.