31st Police Officer Sworn In

The Brookfield Police Department swore in the newly hired 31^st officer, Mitchell Heller, on Thursday afternoon.

After a brief ceremony and reading of the oath by Town Clerk Joan Locke, the department and town officials welcomed the young cadet, who will likely be known for a long time by the nickname “31.”

The ceremony wrapped up with Heller’s mother, Susan, pinning his badge for the first time.

Heller, 23, a Danbury native, said he applied to work in Brookfield because he wanted to stay close to home but wanted to serve a smaller community. Brookfield was ideal, according to Heller, as it is a “small community but not too small.”

Heller graduated from Danbury High School and Western Connecticut State University with a degree in Justice and Law Administration. After school, he spent a year working at Danbury Hospital as a security guard before applying for the position with Brookfield Police.

“I wanted to help the community,” Heller said of his motivation for entering law enforcement, “And being an officer is one of the highest authorities, so you can make a bigger impact.”

The road to Thursday’s swearing in ceremony was a long and hard one, as Heller had to beat out more than 250 candidates over six months of tests and interviews for the single opening in the police department. However, as he stood in front of his family and the new family he was entering into, “It was definitely worth it,” he said.

Heller was an easy choice, according to Major Jay Purcell. He scored highest on the exam portion, interviewed well and came highly recommended, including a reference from the head of security at Danbury Hospital, a former Brookfield police officer.

After the 250 original candidates were culled through , a polygraph test and background checks were administered before they were sent through the interview process, which included time with a committee from the Police Commission.

“The committee met with all the candidates and, as they say, the cream rises to the top,” Police Commission Chairman Nancy Power said, though she herself did not sit on the interview committee.

Heller will begin at the police academy on February 18 and will be there until graduation in early July. Afterward, he will be in a 12-week training program in Brookfield before going out on patrol on his own.

There will be another, more formal swearing in ceremony when Heller graduates from the academy.

He enters the Brookfield police force as a patrol officer, filling a vacancy left two years ago by the retirement of Det. Sgt. Jeffrey Sullinger.