ANSONIA – The newest officer at the Ansonia Police Department is Valley-born and raised.
The Ansonia Police Commission voted Aug. 20 to accept the hire of David Wells. His starting pay is $81,000.
Wells, 26, is a graduate of Shelton High School and Springfield College in Springfield, Mass., from which he holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s of business administration (MBA). A football quarterback throughout high school and college, Wells worked as an overnight manager for Amazon before joining the police force.
Wells said in the meeting that his experience at Amazon taught him how to de-escalate a wide range of situations. He said one of the reasons he left that position was to see more variety at work.
“Business field’s definitely not for me. I don’t like doing the same stuff every day,” Wells said to the commission.
In response to a question from the commission, Wells said that in five years he hopes to still be earning the trust of the community in Ansonia.
“There’s lots of times where you just need to listen to (people). That’s part of the job,” Wells said.
Ansonia Police Chief Wayne Williams said that the department is still hoping to fill six open positions after Wells’ hire.