DERBY – Derby Police Department Chief Scott Todd is scheduled to retire this year after 38 years on the job, including about four as the city’s top cop.
“I truly appreciate the mayors and former chiefs I’ve worked under. It’s been an incredible experience,” Todd said. “I never thought I’d make it 38 years here. The men and women of the agency made being chief extremely easy. They do their job and are enthusiastic. The residents should be proud of this agency.”
Todd, a 61-year-old father of two, said policing has changed dramatically in the past decade, and not always for the better.
He said police accountability reform laws, while well-intentioned, have eroded law enforcement’s ability to do their jobs.
He cited new Connecticut rules and regulations about pursuit which he said have officers second-guessing themselves. The state enacted police reform laws after the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota.
“There were good things from the post-Minneapolis era—additional training, required policy rewrites—but some state policies prevent us from fully doing our job. It’s frustrating,” Todd said. “As a resident you might see an officer who appears inactive, but often we can’t act. Every day it seems like a new law handcuffs us more. For someone who joined in the late ’80s, it’s difficult to watch.”
Todd said the police reform movement, which he cited as starting under President Barack Obama, is one of the reasons police departments have trouble recruiting.
“The accountability movement has pushed many old-school officers to leave. It’s nationwide, not just Derby,” Todd said. “Since I’ve been chief, maybe 30 percent of the department has turned over in four-plus years. Recruiting is terrible nationwide and in Connecticut. Tests that once had hundreds of applicants now get a dozen. We’ve been fortunate because Derby’s benefits are competitive, which helps attract and retain officers, including some from bigger departments.”
The chief said younger police officers are better suited for the rigors and rules of modern policing. It’s the old ‘can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ idiom.
“When it’s not fun anymore and you don’t feel like you’re making the impact you should, you know it’s time to go,” Todd said of retiring. “Policing has changed a lot since the Obama era with the police accountability bill – some changes were good, some were not. It’s a different world of policing than the one I came up in, so it’s time to let the younger generation who grew up in this environment take over.”
Todd is scheduled to be replaced by Brian Grogan, who is currently deputy chief.
The transition from Todd to Grogan is underway, with Grogan representing the department at public meetings, such as supporting an initiative in front of the Derby Board of Education to bring a school resource officer from the Derby Police Department back to the high school.
“He is absolutely ready – an intelligent go-getter and a good administrator. The city will be in good hands with him,” Todd said.
Todd graduated from Shelton High School in 1983. He graduated with honors from Western Connecticut State University with in 1988, the same year he became a supernumerary officer in Derby.
A year into his career Derby experienced the horrific murder of a family inside their Emmett Avenue house.
The victims were 72-year-old Mary A. Sabetta Ferrara; her son, Joseph Ferrara, 46; and her grandaughter, Nina Mary Ferrara, 8. The New Haven Register published a retrospective on the tragedy in 2014.
The crime sticks out in Todd’s mind.
The perpetrator broke into the house to commit a burglary and was surprised to see the family home. He was later sentenced to 130 years in prison, according to the Register.
“It was one of the most difficult cases because it was a family and a young child,” Todd said. “Fatal motor vehicle accidents and homicides leave a lasting impression. Tragedies and a family’s suffering stays with you.”
Todd became a regular officer in Derby in 1992, and was named a detective in 1996. He was promoted to sergeant in 1997, and then to lieutenant in 2007.
In 2011 he was named deputy chief under Chief Gerald Narowski, then became chief after Narowski retired in 2023.
Thomas DeGennaro, chairman of the Derby Police Commission, said Todd is a respected leader in the department. He said Todd and Narowski led the police department through the COVID-19 pandemic and the police reform movement.
DeGennaro said he is sorry to see Todd go but said Derby is lucky to have Grogan on tap.
“The deputy chief is also very well respected and well liked,” DeGennaro said.
Todd said youth crime is an issue today in Derby. It wasn’t an issue when he became an officer almost 40 years ago, he said.
He said Grogan will continue to push for community policing activities to build trust among Derby’s younger residents.
“A major shift—started under my predecessors—has been toward community policing and engagement. Getting out into the community and interacting with youth helps prevent them from turning to crime. It’s an ingrained organizational philosophy,” Todd said.
Todd said he is proud of the fact the department achieved state accreditation from the state in 2024. The accreditation process started under Narowski and concluded under Todd. It took five years total.
The achievement is the law enforcement equivalent of a successful audit. It’s not easy to get, especially for resource-strained smaller departments.
Derby has 34 officers. They were down one officer as of early March.
The chief’s last official day is June 26.