Four members of the Greenwich Police Dept were promoted on Monday afternoon in the ceremonial hall. Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo, who also serves as Police Commissioner gave the oath to each of them. The event was the first at which attendees, who included families and colleagues, were maskless.
Camillo recognized Monday’s event as the first ceremony the police have held in 16 months due to the pandemic. “It’s a bright new day for our town and our country too,” Camillo said.
Captain Kraig Gray was promoted to Deputy Chief. After the ceremony he said he was proud to be part of the Greenwich Police Dept.
“Particularly in the past few years,” he said. “We’ve done a great job growing and getting with the times. The police accountability bill that went forward is just like the Greenwich Police Dept’s playbook. In the end, what they’re looking for is what Greenwich Police Dept already have.”
Gray, a 30 year veteran of the department, has received numerous Letters of Commendation, including the Chiefs’ Award of Merit.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCONN with a Bachelor’s Degree in Society and Justice. He also graduated for Marist College with a Master’s in Public Administration.
Deputy Chief Gray served in the US Army on active duty and in the Army Reserves for 22 years. He served in West Germany, at Fort Dix in NJ, in the Phillipines and Kuwait. He retired from the US Army Reserves in 2007.
Gray became a police officer in 1992. He was promoted to sergeant in 2000, to lieutenant in 2007 and to captain in 2017.
In his new role Deputy Chief Gray will be in charge of professional standards. “It’s internal affairs. It’s the policies and procedures. It’s recognizing the good work they do, including training.”
The position also requires supervising Parking Services and General Services. “It’s all administrative work,” he said.
“It’s all contributing to the ultimate success of the police department, and providing superior service to the community,” Gray said. “The frontline officers need solid support in back to make sure all those policies and procedures are taken care of and they can do their work undistracted.”
“With rank comes responsibility,” Gray said. “Each one of us has been groomed to take the next position.”
Gray had transitioned into his new position two weeks earlier. He said he had met with LuAnn Bellantoni in Parking Services, who he described as a “rock star,” and Gail Fanning in the Records Division who he described as a very capable long term employee.
“It’s not just Kraig Gray. It’s four of us. This is a big shift in the agency, having different people filling a different role. Along with that comes comes personality changes, a learning curve and a lot of movement.”
Lieutenant Eric Scorca, newly promoted to Captain, is from New Fairfield, CT. He graduated from Western Connecticut State University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice & Law Administration.
Scorca became a Greenwich Police Officer on July 22, 2002. In 2007 he became a Field Training Officer and was appointed to the Accident Car. In 2009 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant, and in 2012 he was appointed to the Professional Standards Division. In 2015 he was appointed to the Detective Division, where he supervised the Narcotics Unit. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 2017.
During his time as Lieutenant, he served as a supervisor to the Patrol Division, the Organized Retail Theft Unit, and, most recently, the Detective Division.
Scorca has received extensive police training, including hostage negotiation, detective school, and undercover management. He is also an instructor in Field Training, Search and Seizure, and Physical Fitness. He has trained and certified Field Training Officers throughout the State of Connecticut, and has assisted with physical fitness for new recruits at multiple police academies in the state.
Scorca has earned numerous commendations and awards from the Chief of Police, Command Staff, and the Silver Shield Association. He has been named Officer of the Month multiple times, most recently when he acted as a hostage negotiator and talked down an armed, suicidal, barricaded subject. He was also the 2017 recipient of the John Clarke Award.
Promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant, Ted Latiak, is Greenwich native who graduated from Greenwich High School. He then graduated from USMA West Point with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1998. He earned two Master’s Degrees from Columbia University in 2005 and 2006, and in 2015 he earned his MBA from UCONN.
Latiak served in the United States Army, where he was a Captain in Military Intelligence. He attended Airborne School, Air Assault School, and the Scout Leaders Course. He served in Afghanistan
in 2002 and 2003 and was awarded a Bronze Star. Sergeant Latiak became a Greenwich Police Officer on August 25, 2008.
He was promoted to Detective in 2012 and to Sergeant in 2017. He is a member of the Scuba Team, and has been a part of both the Forensics and Marine sections. He attended the First Place Fairfield County Detective School. He has received numerous Departmental commendations, including Officer of the Month in 2010.
Detective Kyle O’Neill, from Trumbull, was promoted to Sergeant. O’Neill is a graduate of the University of Hartford, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice in 2005.
Detective O’Neill became a Greenwich Police Officer on May 14, 2007. In 2012 he was promoted to the rank of Detective. He has attended the Markle School and the Fairfield County Detective School. He has also received training in Concealed Assets (DEA), Cell Phone Forensics, Crime Scene Processing,
Impression Evidence, Advanced Interview & Interrogation, and Homicide & Death Investigations.
During his career, Detective O’Neill has received dozens of Departmental awards and commendations, including Officer of the Month. In 2015 he also received the FBI Investigator’s Award and in 2019 he received the U.S. Attorney’s Office Case Award. He was featured in a podcast, The Perfect Scam, hosted by AARP, for his investigation of a Grandparent Scam that resulted in a major arrest and the recovery of $16,000 cash.