Major L.J. Fusaro named new Groton Town police chief
Groton — Louis J. Fusaro Jr., a major with the Connecticut State Police, has been named the new chief of police for the town of Groton, Town Manager Mark Oefinger announced Thursday.
Fusaro, a 21-year veteran of the state police, worked his way up through the ranks and was promoted to major in September 2013.
He starts as Groton's new chief on July 27. A swearing-in date has not been selected, Oefinger said in a news release. He will receive an annual salary of $120,000.
Fusaro — the son of Norwich Chief of Police Chief Louis Fusaro Sr. — has had multiple field assignments with the state police, including as commander of Troop K in Colchester and Troop E in Montville.
He was also the commanding officer of the Eastern District Major Crime Squad, the Emergency Services Unit and deputy commander of the Eastern District, according to a news release about his hire.
Most recently, Fusaro served as director of the Office of Counterterrorism, Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, where he was assigned with overall command and administrative responsibility for the Connecticut Intelligence Center, Critical Infrastructure Unit, and state police members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
"He's got incredible credentials, he's held a lot of command posts doing various things that I thought would be helpful in his position here," Oefinger said. "He's a very bright, articulate, energetic, thoughtful individual and I think he will be a very good fit for the department."
Fusaro was not immediately available for comment.
Fusaro has held several leadership positions, including 2nd vice president of the Police Association of Connecticut.
He has a bachelor's degree from The Citadel, the military College of South Carolina, a master's degree in criminal justice administration from Western New England University and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the naval postgraduate school, Center for Homeland Defense and Security's Executive Leaders Program.
Fusaro is one of four state troopers accused in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed July 16, 2014, that claims the troopers provoked a suicidal Poquonnock Bridge firefighter to kill himself in 2012 by repeatedly firing nonlethal ammunition at him.
Oefinger said he spent a lot of time discussing the lawsuit with Fusaro and knew about it fairly early in the process, although the Connecticut Police Chief Association did the initial screenings.
"I'm not the judge. I'm not the jury. He was doing the job as far as I'm concerned," Oefinger said.
Police officers unfortunately have to deal with people in difficult situations at times, Oefinger said. He said he wishes Fusaro didn't have the lawsuit to contend with but it was not reason to discount him.
"It is what it is. In my mind, it wasn't reason to disqualify him," Oefinger said.
Town Councilor Bruce Flax said he looks forward to meeting the new chief.
"It was a long process and I think the choice is a great one, and I look forward to him being in the position and moving the whole department forward," Flax said.
Former Police Chief Michael Crowley retired in February, 2014. Deputy Chief Steven Smith has been running the department since Crowley left.
Twitter: @DStraszheim
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