CT State Police Press Release
At a ceremony on Oct. 23, 2019 at the State Police Training Academy in Meriden, Conn., State Police Troopers and others received awards for service. The Connecticut State Police honors Troopers who demonstrate exceptional service in the line of duty. The ceremony also honors men and women serving in local and federal law enforcement agencies, those serving as first responders, and civilians.  Award winners received medals and certificates from Commissioner James C. Rovella and State Police Colonel Stavros Mellekas. Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz also attended and addressed the recipients.
Awards were presented in eight categories:
- The Medal of Honor is awarded to a Trooper who peforms with gallantry and bravery at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, while engaged in combat with an armed and dangerous person.
- The Medal for Bravery is awarded to a Trooper who demonstrates exceptional heroism in the performance of duty while exposed to life-threatening danger.
- The Meritorious Service Medal is awarded to those who render service with a high degree of alertness, perseverance and superior judgment in the performance of a difficult task resulting in the protection of life, recovery of property, the prevention of – or solving of – a major crime or the apprehension of an armed or dangerous person.
- The Lifesaving Award is presented to those who save a human life or make a valiant attempt to save a life.
- The Outstanding Service Award is given to those who successfully perform an extreme, complex or difficult investigation. The Trooper may demonstrate exceptional skill or ingenuity in the apprehension of a wanted person, provide outstanding service to the public and/or continuously achieve excellence in performance over an extended period of time.
- The Unit Citation is awarded to members of a department, a command or group who combine their resources to achieve success in an investigation or event. The citation recognizes exceptional collective efforts.
MEDAL FOR LIFESAVING: TROOPER JOSEPH DeANGELO On June 21, 2018, at 11:00 p.m., Troop F received a 911 call from a Killingworth residence regarding an unresponsive male who had used heroin in the past. Trooper DeAngelo arrived to find the man blue with a weak pulse. The Trooper immediately administered Narcan to him, followed by CPR. A second dose of Narcan was administered. The man’s condition slowly improved while Killingworth EMS arrived and took over CPR. Soon, the man had a strong pulse and normal skin color. He was transported to a local hospital for further treatment.   The Killingworth Fire Chief noted that the improvement in the man’s condition clearly reflected the excellent care provided by Trooper DeAngelo in his initial minutes on scene. His quick and skillful action saved the patient’s life and Trooper DeAngelo assisted firefighters in removing the patient from very cramped quarters.
MEDAL FOR LIFESAVING: TROOPER FIRST CLASS ENRICO MILARDO On August 28, 2018, at 7:35 a.m., Trooper Milardo responded to a Chester residence for a reported suicide. Upon arrival, the victim was found to be in cardiac arrest. Trooper Milardo immediately began CPR and the victim was successfully resuscitated on scene. He was transported to a local hospital where he later died from complications of his injury.   Trooper Milardo is commended for rapidly assessing the victim and providing CPR which led to the initial successful resuscitation of the victim.
