By Connecticut State Police
(October 20, 2022) – The Connecticut State Police graduated 33 new State Troopers on October 20, 2022, all members of the 132nd Training Troop.
James C. Rovella, Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and Colonel Stavros Mellekas, Commander of the State Police, congratulated the graduating class during a ceremony held at Central Connecticut State University. Governor Ned Lamont and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz also attended and addressed the graduates.
The 132nd Training Troop entered the Connecticut State Police Training Academy on April 8, 2022, with classes starting in a blended learning format. On May 9th, the class began the residential portion of the Academy, Monday through Friday, and completed the remaining 24 weeks of training. This is the second class to graduate the State Police Training Academy in 2022; 53 members of the 131st Training Troop graduated on March 24th.
In total, the class completed 28 weeks and more than 1,400 hours of training both online and in person. In addition to classwork, the recruits spend many hours on physical conditioning, driving, firearms training, active shooter response, experiential training and other specialized areas of police work. Five members of the class started the selections process (including the physical agility) while deployed to Africa as part of a joint effort with State Police and the Connecticut National Guard.
The 33 members of this class include 30 men and 3 women. Members of the 132nd Training Troop have diverse backgrounds, training and experience. Some are former municipal police officers or correction officers, some have been trained as firefighters and EMTs and some have military backgrounds. The youngest member of the class is 21 years old and the oldest is 52 years old.
Among the 33 graduates:
11 have military experience
1 has prior law enforcement experience
11 hold Bachelor’s Degrees
3 hold advanced degrees
At their graduation on October 20th, the newest Troopers were sworn in by Colonel Mellekas and assigned to one of 11 State Police troops located throughout Connecticut.
The graduating Troopers will be assigned as follows:
Troop A, Southbury – 2 new Troopers
Troop B, Canaan – 2 new Troopers
Troop C, Tolland – 1 new Troopers
Troop D, Danielson – 3 new Troopers
Troop E, Montville – 2 new Troopers
Troop F, Westbrook – 2 new Troopers
Troop G, Bridgeport – 6 new Troopers
Troop H, Hartford – 6 new Troopers
Troop I, Bethany – 4 new Troopers
Troop K, Colchester – 3 new Troopers
Troop L, Litchfield – 2 new Troopers
The following Troopers graduated on October 20, 2022:
Abbate, Matthew Tolland Troop C
Amleto, Marco Simsbury Troop B
Baillargeon, Eric Enfield Troop H
Baker, Collin Fairfield Troop G
Battista, Justin Marlborough Troop H
Bilgen, Melissa South Windsor Troop K
Bridges, Kyron New Britain Troop H
Bristol, Julio New Haven Troop I
Canales, Jose New Britain Troop H
Clark, Austin Enfield Troop H
Colby, Jonathan Shelton Troop A
Cottell, John Stamford Troop G
Coutant, Jocelyn Old Saybrook Troop E
DeLucia, Thomas Guilford Troop G
DeRosa, Alec Stratford Troop I
Dingammadji, Yves Naugatuck Troop L
Eccles, Sergey Clinton Troop F
Falstoe, Anthony Bethel Troop A
Gaertner, Shannondoa Preston Troop D
Genovese, Christopher Wallingford Troop I
Hink, Daniel East Haven Troop G
Howell, Randolph Bristol Troop B
Ivan, Michael Andover Troop D
Ladas, Patrick Berlin Troop F
Luby, Charles Manchester Troop H
Martin Jr, Chance North Franklin Troop D
Osmanu, Rashid Hamden Troop I
Pilip, Grzegorz Plainville Troop L
Pinson, John Colchester Troop K
Quaglino, Aidan Stamford Troop G
Sullivan, Patrick Chester Troop E
Torino, Danielle East Haven Troop G
Vendrillo, Donald Colchester Troop K
Photos courtesy of Connecticut State Police
