Naugatuck Official, 74, Accused Of Impersonating A Cop: State Police

NAUGATUCK, CT — The 74-year-old Director of Emergency Management for Naugatuck was arrested on a warrant Monday on charges that he impersonated a police officer and tampered with evidence in connection with a traffic stop he should not have conducted, according to Connecticut State Police.

Walter Dambowsky turned himself in at Troop L in Litchfield after learning of the outstanding warrant. He was charged with the following:

• Impersonation of a Police Officer
• Tampering with Physical Evidence
• Breach of Peace, 2nd Degree

According to state police, the incident occurred between 6:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on June 3, when Dambowsky is accused of turning on the sirens and emergency lights of his government-issued black, Chevrolet Tahoe SUV and pulling over a vehicle on Lincoln Street in Naugatuck.

The vehicle, according to Dambowsky, cut him off, which led to the contested traffic stop. The driver asked Dambowsky if he was a police officer, which Dambowsky did not answer, but he flashed a gold-colored badge, according to state police.

Dambowsky did not issue a ticket to the driver, whose suspicions were raised, in part, because Dambowsky was wearing a maroon-colored golf shirt at the time, according to state police.

The driver filed a complaint with Naugatuck police, who turned the investigation over to state police.

Dambowsky is accused of removing the SD card from a dash camera in the SUV that automatically records when the vehicle is turned on; state police believe the encounter between Dambowsky and the driver would have been recorded.

Additionally, Dambowsky is also accused of tampering with the wiring for the sirens and emergency lights.

State police said the fake traffic stop Dambowsky conducted was not the first time he has done that, and he had been warned in the past not to conduct such activity.

Dambowsky was released after posting a $1,000 bond, and he is scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court on Aug. 20.