Woodbridge Hires New Police Officer

The Woodbridge Police Department has hired a new police officer. Twenty-two-year-old Scott Prentice graduated from Western Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in August. He will report to work on Dec. 20 alongside his father, Kevin Prentice, who has been a Woodbridge Police Officer for seven years. 

Scott Prentice will spend three weeks preparing for the academy, which will begin Jan. 10 in Waterbury. He'll complete academy training in June and join the Woodbridge police force as a Field Training Officer before becoming a Patrol Officer.

Prentice was one of more than 120 applicants considered by the South Central Criminal Justice Administration, the organization that handles the application and screening process for 18 local municipalities. Starting salary for the probationary period is around $45,000. Once his training is complete, Prentice will receive a salary in the range of $51,000.

The SSCJA handles the gathering of applications and the physical agility, written and oral tests. The hiring department--in this case Woodbridge Police--handles the polygraph, psychological evaluation and oral interview.

Police Chief Eugene Marcucci said that Prentice was a great candidate for the position. "Once we've looked at the candidates on every aspect of their background, we look at personality and how we think they'll fit with the department," Marcucci said. "Yes, his father works here, but Scott was the best candidate for the job. We weren't looking at two people, we had nine people to consider and all but two didn't pass the required testing."

Prentice's hire fills a vacancy left by Sergeant Michael DeVito, who retired from the Woodbridge Police Department to join the Milford Police Department in March.