Anderson Promoted to Darien Police Capt., Lawlor to Lt.

Donald Anderson has been promoted to captain in the Darien police force, and John Lawlor has been promoted to lieutenant by the Darien Police Commission.

Anderson, 50, a member of the department since Dec. 4, 1983, is the second generation of his family to work in the Darien Police Department. His father, Bruce Anderson, retired as police chief in 1993 after 30 years in the department. So, for the past 50 years, there's been an Anderson on the force.

Anderson is assigned to command the administrative services division of the department, which includes "pretty much everything that is not officer-driven," he said in a recent interview.

That includes overall supervision of the records division, internet technology, building and vehicle maintenance, liason to the town's traffic authority and traffic commission, matters concerning road signage, and police work involving new construction.

Lawlor's promotion to lieutenant leaves an opening for a Darien police sergeant, and about 20 officers were expected to compete in a standardized test given last week to make them eligible for the job, Anderson said.

Anderson said he started working for the Darien Police Department since he was 20 years old, "three weeks shy of my 21st birthday," and he's been happy to spend the rest of his career there.

"We're fairly well paid in comparison to other departments in the state of Connecticut, and we do have a varied workload -- we get almost everything here [in terms of crimes committed] based on where we are."

Anderson was promoted after former Capt. Frederick W. Komm retired earlier this year after 36 years with the department. Komm, also a Trumbull resident and who was also head of administrative services, took a job as a private patrol officer working for the Tokeneke Association.

Announcement

Here's the Darien Police Department news release, emailed at 8:07 a.m.:

The Darien Police Commission is pleased to announce the following promotions:

Donald B. Anderson was promoted to the rank of Captain effective November 14, 2013.  Capt. Anderson has been a member of the Darien Police Department since 1983, and is now assigned to command the Administrative Services Bureau. 

He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1999 and the rank of lieutenant in 2000, where he served as a Platoon Commander in the Uniform Division.

Capt. Anderson has been a member of the Detective Bureau, the Marine Unit, the Selective Enforcement Unit, the Specialized Accident Investigation Team and the Darien Police Department Honor Guard.  He is a state-certified Motor Vehicle Accident Investigation Instructor. 

He was also a member of the Department’s committee which reviewed and revised the Department’s Personnel Performance Evaluation Rating System.  He also currently serves at the Legal Traffic Authority liaison and as the departmental liaison to the Darien Fire and Emergency Medical Services.  

Capt. Anderson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Sacred Heart University, a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Iona College and is a graduate of the 245th session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA.  He is the son of the late Bruce M. Anderson, former Darien Chief of Police.

Anderson resides in Trumbull with his wife, Georgia, and two daughters, Megan and Ashley. 

John P. Lawlor was promoted to the rank of lieutenant effective November 14, 2013.  He has been a member of the Darien Police Department since 1985. 

Promoted to sergeant in 2000, Lawlor had served as the Department’s Training Sergeant for the past three years.  He is a longtime member of the Department’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Scuba Team.