Police Commission Approves Service Awards for Four Officers

One Norwalk police officer's arm was injured when he was hit by the vehicle of a man he later arrested. Another two put themselves at risk in confronting a group armed with knives. Yet another solved a car burglary that resulted in three arrests.

The August meeting of the Police Commission on Tuesday, each of the officers was recognized with an award for actions taken while patrolling the city:

Officer Russell Ouellette: Officer of the Month

Ouellette was named officer of the month for confronting a man on July 26 as the man tried to escape from being arrested, according to police.

The suspect, Kevin Crosley, 29, of 14 Scribner Ave., earlier allegedly attacked an elderly man by hitting him in the head with a large rock.

In recommending Ouellette for officer of the month, Capt. Ernest Vitarbo said in a memo to Deputy Chief Thomas Kulhwik that the officer confronted Crosley in the driveway of a home on Novak Street.

“The officer placed himself at great personal risk in performing his duties,” Vitarbo wrote, “suffering an injury to his arm as he was struck by (Crosley’s) vehicle.”

Crosley was charged with second-degree assault, second-degree assault of an elderly person, assault of a police officer, interfering with a police officer, two counts of reckless driving resulting in an injury, two counts of evading responsibility and two counts of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended or revoked license.

State judicial records show Crosley is being held at the Bridgeport Correctional Center.

Ouellette did not attend the meeting.

Officer Lou Proto: Meritorious Commendation Certificate

In a “Recommendation For Police Award” submission, Sgt. James Belmont wrote that on May 25, Proto was responding to a report of a car burglary on Main Avenue when he spotted two subjects he knew to be possible car burglars. Proto interviewed the two before continuing to the location of the burglary.

At the Main Avenue location, a man told Proto he had witnessed four young males break into a car, and he had recovered a cell phone from the location.

The phone, Proto learned, belonged to one of the burglary suspects.

Proto arranged to interview three suspects in the burglary with their parents present. The three allegedly confessed to participating in the car burglary and were arrested by warrant.

K-9 Officer Frank Reda: Police Service Cross

Reda received the department’s second highest award for responding to a report on June 25 of armed subjects on Chapel Street and confronting a group of men armed with
kives.

According to Lt. David P. Wrinn, who submitted the recommendation that Reda receive the Police Service Cross, the officer engaged in a protracted physical struggle with the three men, during which his dog, Czar, was stabbed multiple times.

“Officer Reda showed remarkable restraint and poise throughout the encounter … (bringing) this conceivably deadly force encounter to a successful close without the use of deadly force,” Wrinn said.

Sgt. James Walsh: Distinguished Service Award

Walsh received an award for his actions during the same June 25 incident as Reda.

In Walsh’s case, Lt. David P. Wrinn said the group of men fled when police arrived, “still brandishing their weapons.”

Wrinn wrote Walsh chased one of the men, Jose Morales, who did not respond to orders to stop and drop the knife.

Walsh eventually caught Morales and turned him over to another officer, “at which point it was learned Morales had not dropped the knife as ordered, but concealed it.”

Walsh then went to help Officer Reda, “who was concurrently in a physical altercation with three remaining subjects, and assisted in (the) arrest.