West Hartford Police Department Promotes 3

Three West Hartford police officers were promoted at a ceremony on Friday morning at Town Hall.

Capt. Frank Fallon

Frank Fallon, who grew up in West Hartford and has worked in the town’s department since August 1995, was promoted from lieutenant to captain.

Fallon has police work in his bloodlines, with his father, two uncles and an aunt all having worked in the Hartford Police Department. One of his cousins recently joined the FBI and another is studying criminal justice.

Fallon spent 7 years as a patrol officer before being promoted to detective in 2002. He was selected as a polygraph examiner, administering polygraphs to suspected criminals and more than 100 applicants to the West Hartford Police Department.

In 2008, Fallon was promoted to the rank of sergeant, leading a squad of detectives. In 2012, he was promoted to lieutenant and served in the patrol and traffic divisions before settling in to community relations.

He has received five unit citations and one distinguished service award.

Chief of Police Tracey Gove said that Fallon’s promotion is a significant one.

Indeed, Fallon will be assigned to the patrol division, where he will command a squad of about 90 officers, supervisors and PSDs, Gove said.

Connecticut, according to Gove, has 54 police departments that have fewer than 50 officers.

“[Gove] is going to command a division that is bigger than most police departments in the state of Connecticut,” Gove said.

Fallon, for his part, was happy to be serving as a police officer in the town in which he grew up.

“West Hartford is a great town,” Fallon said.

Christopher Chappell was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant.

Of all the things that Chappell had in his bio, including serving as a Ranger in the U.S. Army, Gove said that the one that Chappell wanted highlighted most was that he is an Eagle Scout.

In addition, Chappell has received more than a dozen letters of commendation.

Chappell is highly decorated, having also received four unit citations, a police merit award, the MADD award (twice), the Hartford Police Department distinguished service award, and the the Connecticut State Police Commissioner’s Recognition Award for, along with several other WHPD officers, assisting an armed suicidal person who had stopped his vehicle on I-84 in an area of heavy traffic flow.

Chappell joined the West Hartford police in 1999, taking a year off when he was called back to active duty as an Army reservist.

He was promoted to sergeant in 2009 and to the detective division in 2012, leading a squad of detectives.

With his latest promotion, Chappell will command a squad of three sergeants, 20 officers, and four PSD’s.

Sgt. Christopher Day

Finally, Chris Day was promoted from officer to sergeant.

Gove said that it’s the most difficult jump to make in law enforcement, because you go from being a colleague to someone’s boss. In addition, sergeants are required to respond to critical incidents and make tough decisions in real time, requiring extensive training and intelligence.

Day is the right person for the job, Gove said.

He joined the West Hartford Police Department in May 1999, having attended the University of Connecticut.

He served in the patrol and traffic divisions. Day is a traffic reconstructionist, which requires many hours of training and not every traffic officer is qualified as such, Gove said.

“In serious accidents, the reconstructionist examines all of the physical evidence to determine how and why the accident happened, the sequence of events that took place and the determination of cause,” Gove said. “It requires someone who is methodical and has a strong grasp of physics.”

Gove said that Day has been cited by his supervisors as a top-performer. He investigated over 1,900 accidents and issued over 2,400 tickets. As remarkable as that sounds, Day’s biggest accomplishment may be not having received one citizen complaint in issuing those tickets.

That speaks well of Day’s ability to treat people with dignity and respect, Gove said.

Day is also a SWAT team member, and his specialty is breaching, Gove said. He is a member of the Honor Guard and has received a unit citation three times and the Hartford Distinguished Service award. He’s also received a dozen letters of commendation.

The newly promoted sergeant is noted for his positive attitude, and his hard work.

“He’s never in a bad mood,” Gove said.