Police Department

Mission Statement

The mission of the Danbury Police Department is to provide an environment that is free from the fear of crime, where people can enjoy a high quality of life, and the entire Danbury community can prosper. Danbury Police Headquarters is located at 375 Main Street in the city's downtown. The Chief serves as the head of the agency with one Deputy Chief serving as second in command. The department has four main divisions. Three Captains head the Patrol, Investigations, and Professional Standards Divisions, respectively while a civilian manager heads the Administrative Services Division. The department's authorized strength of 160 sworn officers is supplemented by civilian personnel assigned to various divisions. A private company operates the communications center, front window reception, and 311 information line at police headquarters.

View a gallery with photos from the Police Department.

Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Accomplishments

  • Opened a new substation on the west side in The Summit at Danbury complex.
  • Promoted Captain Michael Sturdevant to the rank of Deputy Chief upon the retirement of Shaun McColgan, who gave 32 years of service to the city, the last seven as Deputy Chief.
  • Promoted three Lieutenants to the rank of Captain, three Sergeants to the rank of Lieutenant, and eight officers and one Detective to the rank of Sergeant. This includes two females, Michelle Stabile and Christina Buonocore, marking the first time a female has been promoted to Detective in more than 20 years.
  • Amity LaFantano, who became the first female promoted to Sergeant in 2015, was elevated to Detective Sergeant in December 2021, again a historic “first” for our department. 
  • Hired new officers to fill entry level vacancies and added a new civilian clerk to assist with increased workload in Records Division. 
  • Purchased and implemented new body and in-car camera systems for greater transparency. 
  • Trained all sworn personnel on the new use of force standards and de-escalation strategies.
  • Maintained Tier III Accreditation from the State’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council, the highest level of state accreditation. 
  • Began mental health assessments for sworn personnel in accordance with the state’s police accountability legislation. 
  • Conducted more distracted driving and seatbelt enforcement campaigns utilizing state and federal grants. 
  • Held our third “Family Night” with dinner at Hatter’s Hall. The topic of the presentation was overall mental, physical, and emotional wellness initiatives.
  • Partnered with several community agencies to continue community outreach in a virtual format and to assist residents during the ongoing pandemic. 
  • Purchased and launched the TIP 411 program that will allow residents to send anonymous test messages regarding crime and other quality of life concerns.
  • Purchased and launched new crime mapping software that is available 
  • Raised nearly $3,000 to support the St. Baldrick’s program for children with cancer.

Objectives for Fiscal Year 2022-2023

  • Partnered with the city’s Fire, Health, and Emergency Management departments to hire a Public Relations Specialist that will ensure more consistent and efficient public safety messaging, public outreach, and coordination with the media. 
  • Continue to meet or exceed the provisions of the Police Accountability Bill, including implementation of the new use of force reporting standards. 
  • Continue working with Human Resources to fill vacancies through both certified and entry-level hiring process. 
  • Continue with our efforts to attract qualified minority and female applicants in an effort to make the department reflective of our vibrant and diverse community. 
  • Resume or signature community outreach events, including our Citizens Police Academy and our annual “Party on the Patio” at police headquarters. 
  • Launch new community outreach initiatives.
  • Continue with our officer health and wellness initiatives. 

For 2021, Danbury Police responded to just over 45,500 calls for service, just slightly less than 2020 and significantly less than 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic continued well into 2021, and we believe it had a significant impact on our call volume. We experienced a very small increase in our overall crime rate in 2021. However, it is difficult to make a comparison with 2020 since much of the city was in lockdown for most of the year. 

Thank you to the entire Danbury community for their support and pledge to do all we can to ensure safety of all residents and visitors in our city. DPD; Dependable, Professional, Dedicated!