Southington Cop Named Officer Of The Year By American Legion

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A Southington cop has been named Police Officer of the Year by both the local and statewide American Legions, the Southington Police Department announced.

On May 30, Southington's American Legion Post 72 named Officer Christopher LaPorte its police officer of the year. Then, on Saturday, the American Legion State of Connecticut chose him for the annual award as well.

LaPorte has worked for the Southington Police Department since he started as a patrol officer in 1997, and he has served as a K9 officer as well.

In 2020 he became the department's Community/Crime Prevention Officer, a role in which he works with groups like Community Services, Bread for Life and the Southington Town-Wide Effort To Promote Success (STEPS).

Read more: Meet The Southington Police Dept. Community Relations Officer

"Officer LaPorte's commitment and dedication to serving the public was one of the reasons he was selected as the American Legion Police Officer of the Year! He could not think of a better place he would want to work, live, or raise a family," the Southington Police Department said in a statement. "He enjoys coming to work every day and demonstrating a community first approach to his conduct as a town employee and police officer."