On Monday, May 18, the Wilton Police Department held a promotion ceremony to raise the rank of two of its officers. Ofc. Arnold Baker and Ofc. Anthony Cocco were both sworn in as sergeants in front of their families, town officials and members of the Wilton Police and Fire Departments.
Baker, who joined the WPD in 2002, is a member of the dive rescue team and an EMS coordinator/instructor for the police department.
Cocco started in 2000 has been involved with the Domestic Violence Task Force and MAC unit, and is also one of the department’s car seat technicians.
Both Officers previously have been named ‘Officer of the Year,‘ received letters of recognition and life saving awards for saving lives.
Acting chief of police Robert Crosby told the assembled audience that getting promoted within a police department is harder than a typical job that ‘only’ requires an employee to show up, work hard and demonstrate dedication.
“Not only do you have to show up, work hard and be a dedicated employee, you have to take a test–not only a written test, but an interview with outside officers who you have no idea what they’re going to ask you. Then, hopefully you’re high enough on the list to get promoted. Then, even if you’re high enough, sometimes there are no promotions, and you have to go through the cycle again. This time we were lucky, there were promotions,” Crosby said.
He added that having longtime members of his force move up to management roles was something easy knowing well that he could rely on both of them.
“I know these two gentlemen will do it well, and I have no fears that when I go home and these guys are running the department, they’re going to do a great job,” Crosby said.
First selectman Bill Brennan added, “Promotions are always fun, and we’re delighted to be recognizing two terrific officers. We have a terrific police force and I’m delighted to see promotion from within. This is what we always try to do.”