Politics & Government
Windsor Locks Police Chief Retiring in August
John Suchocki said his decision to retire is based on his reaching age 65 in August and not the expected results of an investigation police conduct surrounding an October 29 fatal accident.
Windsor Locks Police Chief John Suchocki has decided to retire effective August 10, on his 65th birthday.
Suchocki said Thursday his retirement is not being prompted by an upcoming report on the police department’s actions surrounding an October 29 car accident that killed 15-year-old Henry Dang.
Suchocki said he began thinking about retirement about four months ago and he and his wife decided he should retire.
“I’m retiring because I’m 65 years old and I’ve been doing this for 44 years,” Suchocki said.
State police have charged former Windsor Locks Officer Michael Koistinen with being the driver of the car that hit and killed Dang as he road his bicycle.
Suchocki was hired by Windsor Locks as captain in 1999 from the West Hartford Police Department. He was named chief in March 2000, he said.
Suchocki said he informed the police commission last week in a letter of his intentions to retire. He said he also began to inform members of the police department the day after he told commission members.
An independent investigator, Frank Rudewicz, has been looking into the actions of the Windsor Locks Police Department following the fatal accident. Initially agreeing to a $32,000 fee, Rudewicz requested additional funds to complete the investigation because it became more involved than initially anticipated, officials said. An April 26 town meeting approved another $8,200.
Rudewicz interviews have included Windsor Locks police officials, police commission members, residents, and members of the North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction Team, officials said.
Police Commission Chairman Neal Cunningham said last week that he expects the report in the next few weeks but he hadn’t heard an update recently. The town’s labor attorney Kevin Deneen has been the town’s main contact with Rudewicz about the progress of the report, Cunningham said.
Koistinen, 25, of Suffield, is charged with first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, misconduct with a motor vehicle, and attempt to tamper with evidence. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Nov. 23 in Hartford Superior Court.
His father, Robert Koistinen is a Windsor Locks police sergeant and has been on administrative leave with pay since the accident, his annual salary is $73,385. He pleaded not guilty in January to charges he interfered with the investigation of the Oct. 29 fatal accident in which his son was involved.
The police commission on June 8 instructed an attorney for the town to seek a settlement with Robert Koistinen about a heart and hypertension claim he filed in 2005.
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