West Hartford Officer Honored With U.S. States Attorney Award

WEST HARTFORD, CT — West Hartford Police Officer Dante Ursini was among the 29 law enforcement officers and community members from cities and towns across the state honored by the U.S. States Attorney’s Office at a Community Policing Awards Ceremony this week.

“Our honorees represent the very best in community policing,” U.S. States Attorney Deirdre M. Daly said in a press release. “In innovative and practical ways, they have reached out to make meaningful connections with people living in our communities. We thank them for their commitment to building public trust and strengthening relationships between the police and the communities they serve. The importance of this work can never be overstated. If the public does not have confidence in the police, they may well not report crimes, cooperate in criminal investigations or support our justice system. We applaud them and we thank them for their dedicated and invaluable service. They have made lasting and purposeful contributions to ensuring that Connecticut is a safer and more secure place to live.”

Read more about Ursini from the U.S. States Attorney’s Office below:

Officer Ursini has been a police officer for 10 years and a School Resource Officer in the Community Relations Division for the past 2 years. He is currently pursuing his Master’s Degree in Social Work.

Officer Ursini is a pleasure to work with and we have frequently fielded compliments and accolades for the exceptional way he has handled calls, especially those involving children with special needs. Officer Ursini has worked, for many years now, with a student whose family has many legal, financial and mental challenges. Officer Ursini has met with the child on a regular basis, has incorporated other resources, and has worked with the school system in an effort to show this child that there are people who care for him. Officer Ursini sees the promise this child holds and continues to provide full support to the family. This is but one instance of the many “above and beyond” cases he works on in our schools.

In 2017, Officer Ursini developed a “Care Card” program while working with the Board of Education. The Care Card identification program issues cards to residents for a variety of purposes, including – but not limited to – those with cognitive impairments, specifically special needs students and the elderly. Those with special needs may not have the ability to recall personal information, or may not be able to obtain another form of ID, and can be issued a Care Card. This photo ID card is linked to the police database and is completely customizable based on the patient’s privacy concerns. The card enables people to be quickly identified by police as having an impairment. It contains emergency contact and hospital information, also. The goal is to help officers quickly reunite these patients with their loved ones or to connect them with proper care. The program has gained positive media attention and is very popular with senior citizens centers, convalescent homes and has been shared with local Autism centers.

Officer Ursini regularly presents to a variety of groups on a host of topics including teen driving, internet safety, drug awareness, law enforcement & the elderly – to name only a few.

Officer Ursini works tirelessly in order to keep West Hartford residents safe.

Pictured: First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Gustafson, Officer Dante Ursini, Lt. Eric Rocheleau, and U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly / via the U.S. States Attorney’s Office