East Windsor police chief to retire in December

Nov. 21—EAST WINDSOR — Police Chief Edward DeMarco Jr. intends to retire at the end of the year and the town has chosen a search firm to find a new chief.

For the past 19 years, DeMarco has been the head of the East Windsor Police Department and has been the director of emergency management since 2012.

DeMarco's last day will be Dec. 31, according to his resignation letter submitted Sept. 30.

Although DeMarco is still on payroll with the department, he stopped serving as chief of police and the emergency management director on Oct. 21.

DeMarco has worked in law enforcement since 1988 and began his long career as a police officer in Wallingford.

"Chief DeMarco is leaving a different police department than he found and the police department for the town of East Windsor is one we're all extremely proud of," First Selectman Jason Bowsza said.

On Oct. 21, former Deputy Chief Roger Hart was named interim chief and Matt Carl was named interim deputy chief.

At the Board of Selectmen meeting Nov. 17, the board decided to hire Strategic Government Resources to search for a new chief of police.

"We had three quotes and two of them were above the threshold necessary to do a request for proposal, and SGR was below the threshold," Bowsza said.

A few months before DeMarco submitted his retirement letter in September, the Police Commission issued a $7.50 pay raise to DeMarco and Hart.

Police Commission Chairman Robert Leach said the raise was based on merit and performance.

However, at a Board of Selectmen meeting in August, Bowsza did not approve the raise over concerns about its significance and where the amount came from.

Bowsza also noted at the time that the raise would be a change in contract, which must be approved by the Board of Selectmen, according to town charter.

Leach disagreed that the Board of Selectmen had any say in the raise because of Connecticut General Statutes, which state the Police Commission has the power to appoint, promote, and remove officers and members of the police department.

A special counsel was formed to determine who was responsible for issuing the raises, ultimately granting power to the Police Commission.

After hearing the public's concerns, the commission decided to reduce the raise to $5 per hour a couple of weeks before DeMarco sent his retirement notice.

Information regarding DeMarco's pension will not be available until his retirement is fully processed, Bowsza said. Figuring out what DeMarco's pension would have been without the $5 raise would require an actuarial calculation by a third-party actuary.

Collin covers South Windsor and East Hartford for the Journal Inquirer.