Longtime State Trooper From Suffield Dies

SUFFIELD, CT — Retired Connecticut State Police Detective John Sawyer, a longtime resident of Suffield, died Sunday. He was 55.

Sawyer's law enforcement career spanned 30 years, with the last two decades spent with the state police. Since 2002, he worked with the Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit as an Accelerant Detection Canine Handler of canines "Lily" and "Sophie." He recently retired on April 1.

A post on the Suffield Police Department's Facebook page reads:

"John was a member of the Suffield community; he frequently stopped to check on officers to make sure they were okay on motor vehicle stops. He also assisted the Suffield Fire Department in many investigations along with his involvement in the firemen’s carnival. John was a wealth of knowledge and was always a phone call away no matter the time of day. On most days you could find John at Dunkin Donuts in the morning talking with friends. John was an incredible person who always remembered your name and treated you as an equal, a great Trooper and an even better person."

Sawyer served as Past President of the Connecticut Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators, where he was awarded the Investigator of the Year Award and the Arnold Markle Award for Outstanding Service.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia; two children, two brothers and a sister.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, April 28 at 11 a.m. at St. Stanislaus Basilica, 566 Front Street, Chicopee, Mass. His family will receive friends Thursday, April 27 from 4-8 p.m. at Nicholson & Carmon Funeral Home, 443 East St. N. (Route 159), Suffield.

Suffield police are anticipating significant traffic delays Thursday in the area of the funeral home, located just north of the intersection of Route 159 and the Route 190/Veteran’s Bridge during afternoon rush hour.

"Increased pedestrian and vehicle traffic is anticipated to cause serious delays and traffic congestion. The Suffield police encourage motorists to avoid this area if possible on Thursday afternoon or to seek detours around the area of Route 159 (East Street North) and Route 190," police said in a statement.

Please contact the Suffield Police Department with questions or concerns at (860) 668-3870.

Photo courtesy of Suffield Police Department