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WESTON, Conn. In the past 24 hours, several rumors have circulated around town concerning Weston Police Chief John Troxell's sudden announcement Tuesday that he plans to retire. On Wednesday, the chief sat down with The Daily Weston and opened up about his decision.
I want to get this straight, I am not leaving here for any other reason except that it is just personal ... over the last eight months or so, my enthusiasm for the job itself has diminished a little bit. My heart is not totally dedicated to this position and I think its time I handed the torch off to someone else, he said.
Troxell, who grew up in town and graduated from Weston High School, has been with the Weston Police Department for 31 years. He is the third police chief and the only one to rise through the ranks. Troxell said he came to the force in 1980 when he was 22-wet-behind-the-ears-years old as a part-time special officer.
When he started, Troxell was required to complete only 60 hours of training before hitting the road. He became a fulltime officer in May of 1981 when he completed another 14-week training program.
Westons officers are now required to complete 400 hours of field training after 22 weeks at the police academy. They are also required to complete nine hours of pistol training per year, and most do more than that. Its a big difference now, compared to when I was just starting out. We had a day at the range back then, Troxell said.
With over 30 years under his belt, Troxell said its time for him to go. There has been a lot of speculation and people are asking why. I have had some disagreements in town, but those were all normal disagreements, normal issues. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and none of those issues were the reason why I decided to retire at this time, he said.
I am retiring because I can. I also feel that I have reached a point in my career that I have done everything that I have set out to do, he said.
Due to contractual agreements, Troxell is required to give 180 days notice. Therefore, his official date of retirement will be July 24. On that day, he said, he plans to spend time with his wife, Jacqueline, and their dog Smoochy in their home in Stratford.
I will spend a lot of time with him, and I have a vegetable garden that I have been neglecting for the past few years. I think it's perfect timing to get back into that, he said.
As for plans after the summer, Troxell said, at some point he would like to get involved with law enforcement training.
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