Board of Police Commissioners chooses next police chief

Branford Deputy Chief Thomas Fowler has been offered a conditional contract as Windsor Locks' next police chief. Courtesy photo.

The Windsor Locks Police Department is actively looking to the future with the recent conditional offering of the police chief position to Thomas Fowler, a deputy chief in the Branford Police Department. Fowler, a 25-year veteran of the police force, was among 70 applicants for the position.

The Police Commission met on Jan. 20 and made its offer to Fowler. According to the Commission, he must still pass a psychological exam, a polygraph test, a background check and a drug screening. The position has been open since Chief John Suchoki retired in late 2011.

Fowler feels he brings several experiences and skills to Windsor Locks that will assist the department in coming back from its hardest year to date, following an incident in 2010 when a local teenager riding his bike was struck by a vehicle and killed, allegedly by an off-duty Windsor Locks officer.

“It was obviously a tragic accident,” said Fowler, “and some poor judgments were made.”

Fowler has guided the Branford Police Department through the rigorous CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) police accreditation process and hopes to do the same for Windsor Locks. “The success we had [in Branford] lends itself to Windsor Locks,” he said. “[The CALEA process] forces a department to update its processes and procedures, to professionalize the department and make sure that they are using best practices,” said Fowler. Despite this process already being started by Acting Chief Chet DeGray, it is lengthy and detailed and Fowler is eager to move it forward.

Fowler presently lives in southern Connecticut, but plans to relocate within 20 miles of Windsor Locks, as stated by his contract. Fowler earned his Master’s of Public Administration degree in 2006 and is a graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

“I have been a police officer for 25 years,” said Fowler, “the last five as a deputy chief. This is a natural progression for me.”

Fowler also looks forward to working with First Selectman Steven N. Wawruck, Jr., and the Board of Police Commissioners. “He is extremely professional,” said Fowler about Wawruck. “I think he wants to move the department forward and he seems to be very open to some of the ideas I discussed during my interview.”

“I applaud the efforts of our Police Commission working with our HR director in selecting Deputy Chief Thomas Fowler as our new chief of police,” said Wawruck. “The search brought forward many worthy candidates and in the end the Commission felt that Deputy Chief Fowler was the right candidate to be selected as the town's new police chief. I look forward to working with him in rebuilding the trust of our community with the department and to restore the pride of the department with the officers in making the Windsor Locks Police Department one of the best in the state,” he said.

Fowler also hopes that when he begins work in Windsor Locks it will bring a new start for the beleaguered police department. “Hopefully, it will bring a close to that era and start a new one,” he said.