Retirement Date Set for Enfield Police Chief

ENFIELD, CT — After nearly 38 years on the police force, including the last dozen as chief, Enfield native Carl Sferrazza will soon be retiring from his hometown police department.

Sferrazza, who grew up on Windsor Street in the Thompsonville section of town and graduated from Enrico Fermi High School in 1976, will work his last day at the helm Feb. 28, after dedicating his entire adult life to serving his community.

After joining the department as an auxiliary officer just weeks after his high school gradution and holding that post for two years, he spent a year as a supernumary officer in East Windsor before returning to Enfield for good on May 18, 1980.

He was promoted to sergeant in 1986, to lieutenant in 1988, to captain in 1994 and to deputy chief in 2004. He replaced retired chief Ron Marcotte on Jan. 1, 2006.

Of all the changes in the police department over his four-decade career, Sferrazza says technology has been the most drastic.

"We used to have briefcases full of papers, and we used to type warrants on carbon paper," he said. "Now every car has a mobile data terminal, fingerprinting is now electronic instead of ink."

Among the other major advancements are the department's involvement with various regional alliances.

"We weren't part of regional teams when I started," Sferrazza said. "It has always been cost-prohibitive for departments to have their own SWAT team, so we've joined with the Capitol Region Emergency Response Team (CREST). We are part of a regional team equipped as safely as possible and intensively trained. With one phone call, I could mobilize 30 to 40 trained people with vehicles and equipment. Another regional group is Metro Traffic, which helps with accident reconstruction. A great thing about Enfield is that our people are leaders in these regional teams."

Sferrazza identified several programs of which he is proud.

"I introduced the Citizens Police Academy in 1993, which has become a very successful public relations component to the department," he said. "We have conducted an annual award ceremony since 2008, with the next one coming up Jan. 18 at the Mount Carmel Hall. Finally, and most importantly, the department has achieved national accreditation on multiple occasions through an extensive series of criteria through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)."

Memorable moments from Sferrazza's tenure include helping save two young children from a fire in 1982 ("they came to see me about three years ago to say thank you, visiting from North Carolina") and helping deliver a baby boy just prior to his wedding day in 1987 ("the family has stayed in touch over the years").

He said he is grateful for having had the opportunity to spend his entire career in his hometown, and has no plans to leave the area following retirement.

"I have been so fortunate to be able to do what I wanted to do in life and in my own hometown which I love," he said. "I've hired about 55 of our current 90 police officers, and they are wonderful people I work with. My sadness is leaving them behind, but I have no intention of leaving Enfield. I want to stay part of and help my community. I'm very grateful to the residents for allowing me to serve as chief."

Photo credit: Tim Jensen