New Madison Police Chief Sworn In

John Charles Drumm, a retired state trooper and most recently police chief of the Groton/Long Point Police Department, was sworn in Monday morning as Madison's new chief of police.

In a room filled with officers and police chiefs from around the state, Drumm was sworn in by Police Commission Chair Emile Geisenheimer, who said, "This is a milestone in the history of this department and this town."

Just moments before, at a joint meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners and the Board of Selectmen, both bodies unanimously approved Drumm's appointment. He will sign a five-year contract with an effective starting date of
Jan. 1, 2010. His salary, in this first year, is set at $101,147 (see story on page 8).

In his remarks after the brief swearing in ceremony, Drumm said, "The events of today are not an indictment of the past, but should be seen as hope for the future. This is a very good police department [with] very good police officers…What happened yesterday was yesterday…I promise the citizens of Madison that your police department will protect you, we will keep you safe, and we will earn your trust."

Drumm takes over a department that has undergone much turbulence over the past two years, including a
series of internal investigations, the termination of six officers, a Connecticut State Police investigation into now-retired police chief Paul Jakubson, appeals and lawsuits filed by terminated officers, and controversy over legal fees.

"I look forward to working with the Madison department; let's go to work," Drumm said at the conclusion of his remarks. He
received a standing ovation.

Drumm was born in New Haven, one of six children, and attended New Haven and Hamden schools. His father was a Hamden policeman and chief of police in East Hartford. He earned a bachelor's degree from Southern Connecticut State University and later a master's degree from St. Joseph College in West Hartford. He is also a graduate of the Connecticut State Police Academy and the FBI National Academy.

He began his law enforcement career in 1979 when he joined the Connecticut State Police. Drumm served with the state police for 25 years and, according to his biography, "worked in and supervised numerous investigative units, including but not limited to the State Police Gang Task Force and the Hartford Auto Theft Task Force…[He] also served as an undercover officer for the New Haven Federal Gang Task Force during the gang take-down initiatives of the early '90s."

Drumm served as executive officer and second in command of two state police troops, the Hartford and Westbrook barracks. At the time of his retirement, he was one of the state's most decorated police officers. Among his decorations are three commendations for Outstanding Public Service, three commendations for Meritorious Service, and one of the state police's highest honors, the Medal of Bravery.

After retirement from the state police, Drumm worked for a time for the U.S. Department of State. In July 2004, he accepted the position of chief of police at Groton/Long Point, where he has served for the past five years. He is currently vice president on the Executive Board of Directors for the Connecticut Police Chiefs
Association.

Recognizing Nolan

Just prior to officially swearing in Drumm as the department's new chief, the Police Commission took a moment to thank Robert Nolan for his service as acting chief.

Geisenheimer said, "We asked him to come for three months and he stayed for 20."

Nolan, a retired Hamden police chief, came to Madison one day after the Police Commission placed then-chief Jakubson on paid administrative leave pending a state police investigation. No one on the commission or within the department-and certainly not Nolan-expected he would stay this long.