ANSONIA – The public face of the Ansonia Police Department is retiring after 36 years on the job.
“The police department in Ansonia has given so much,” Lt. Patrick Lynch, 56, said. “It’s pretty much the only job I’ve had in adulthood. It provided me with the ability to buy a house, send two kids to college, and to have a good life.”
Lynch, 56, is recognizable because he served as the department’s public information officer since 2016. He answered media questions and led press conferences during high-profile criminal cases, of which Ansonia has had more than its share.
But Lynch’s main role wasn’t answering questions from reporters.
He’s also the department’s operations commander, in charge of patrol officers and sergeants. He reported directly to Chief Wayne Williams, who has been chief since February 2022 (after six months as interim chief).
Lynch is a Bridgeport native who was raised by his mom, Sheila, and his father, Philip, who worked as a Bridgeport firefighter for 25 years, retiring as a lieutenant before passing away in 2021.
Lynch’s father was a major influence on his son.
“My dad was the Cliff’s Notes of how to be a human being, how to be a father, how to be professional, and how to treat people,” Lynch said.
Lynch graduated from Notre Dame High School in Fairfield in 1987. He studied computer science at Sacred Heart University for about two years when he was hit with the realization he didn’t want a desk job. So he started taking police exams.
Baptism By Fire
He was hired by the Ansonia Police Department on April 11, 1990. Lynch turned 21 in the police academy.
Lynch didn’t get a desk his first days as a police officer. In fact, he didn’t get the traditional “field training” that starts the careers of most law enforcement.
Instead, he was assigned to the Valley Street Crime Unit, a multi-jurisdictional task force birthed in 1979 as a burglary unit before morphing into narcotics investigations as cocaine and crack cocaine took hold in the 1980s.
Lynch was immediately put to work as an undercover officer and started buying drugs off the street. He said he was young but looked even younger, which probably put dealers at ease.
“All I really had to do was grow back my mullet,” Lynch said.
Narcotics were a major problem in the Valley in those days. Lynch said it was bad on Olson Drive in Ansonia, where dealers would offer drugs to motorists as they drove by. That’s where the Valley Street Crime Unit sent him.
“Two days out of the academy I’m over at the Valley Street Crime Unit, and I spent the next four months buying drugs,” Lynch said.
In an email, Chief Williams noted that the assignment was dangerous. At one point Lynch was robbed at gunpoint while working undercover, Williams said.
“His calm demeanor and level headedness in that situation have carried throughout his career from patrolman to the second in command of this agency,” Williams said.
The street crime unit included law enforcement from Ansonia, Derby, Seymour, and Shelton. Later iterations included Orange and Woodbridge, according to The New Haven Register.
The rookie assignment put Lynch under the instruction of a number of good police officers, including detectives John Rafalowski and Paul LoCicero from Ansonia, Detective Bobby Donahue from Derby, and Detective Richie Osso from Shelton. Lynch said the unit was headed up in those days by Samuel Haurilak, a captain from Shelton police.
The experience gave his law enforcement career a jump start, he said.
“We ended up with 53 targets, 185 cases total, we did 10 search warrants at the very end of it to wrap everything up. It was definitely not your conventional way to start policing,” Lynch said.
Cops, Friends, The Community
After the undercover narcotics assignment ended, Lynch worked as a patrol officer for about 11 years. He was named a patrol sergeant in 2001 and was promoted to detective sergeant in 2004. He held that position for about 12 years.
James J. McGrath, a World War II veteran who was a state trooper for 30 years, was the police chief when Lynch was hired. Lynch said McGrath was hired to change the culture in the department and insert new professionalism.
Community-oriented policing became important, Lynch said, a policy carried on by subsequent police chiefs Kevin Hale, Andrew Cota III and now Williams.
Lynch said Ansonia is a strong community that partners with officers, a key to effective policing.
Lynch singled out Diane Stroman, a former Alderwoman and leader at TEAM, Inc. as a pillar of the community.
“I met some amazing people, both in law enforcement and the community. Diane Stroman: talk about a person who has her finger on the pulse of a community. Diane knows everything and everyone, and it was always a pleasure to work with her on community initiatives and outreach,” Lynch said.
The lieutenant also said that he was fortunate to develop close friendships with fellow officers. He said he counts Detective Stephen Adcox as a close friend. The same with Sgt. Chris Flynn. Flynn and Lynch didn’t just start in Ansonia on the same day – they’ve been friends since meeting in the first grade at St. Patrick’s Grammar School in Bridgeport.
“Chris has a treasure trove of experience, and he’s been my go-to sergeant,” Lynch said. “If something needed to get done, I would start with him.”
Major Cases
The Ansonia Police Department today has a capacity of 50 officers. Williams said Lynch was involved in every major case investigation for several decades.
Lynch said cases that stick out include a 2005 homicide early in Lynch’s time as a detective during which a 33-year-old man shot a 32-year-old man to death on Olson Drive. The reason for the crime? The victim declined to give the man $2. Witnesses included children, according to The New Haven Register.
“We worked the case with John Rafalowski and Stephen Adcox,” Lynch said. “We were able to get some good breaks. We were able to get a warrant, interviewed him over (a) series of hours, and he ended up confessing and telling us where the gun was.”
The killer is serving a 30-year sentence at the Osborn Correctional Institution in Somers.
Lynch spent more time during an interview with The Valley Indy Monday (June 29) talking about two cases where justice was not or has not been served.
Both cases involved babies – one was an 8-month old who died. The medical examiner found cocaine and cough medicine in her system. Lynch suspected the cocaine got there because crack was smoked in the house. However, the medical testing at the time wasn’t enough to bring serious charges against the parents.
“The best we could do was risk of injury,” Lynch said. “It was extremely frustrating.”
The other case – Vanessa Morales, who was 14 months old when her father, Jose Morales, murdered her mother, Christine Holloway, in the family’s apartment in Ansonia.
Vanessa was last seen Nov. 29, 2019. Her mom’s body was found Dec. 2, 2019.
Jose Morales is the last known person to be seen with Vanessa. The Ansonia Police Department still follows up on any leads received. Anyone with info on where Vanessa might be should call the FBI New Haven Hotline at (203) 503-5555 or Ansonia police at (203) 735-1885.
Lynch said the Jose Morales, who was found guilty of murder and tampering with evidence, has information about his missing daughter but will not talk.
“It’s a case that will stay with me forever,” Lynch said. “It’s extremely frustrating, because you want answers for the family. It all basically rests on his (Jose’s) shoulders, and deciding to come out with the truth.”
Jose Morales was sentenced in 2025 to more than 60 years in prison.
Time To Move On
Lynch said he was hoping to hit 40 years on the job and then retire. He’s falling a few years short, but said the time is right to get out.
“I will tell you this – you know it’s time to retire when you look at the roster, and 60 percent of the names were not born when you started working. Forty percent are younger than my kids,” Lynch said, joking.
Just under two years ago Lynch became a grandfather. His daughter, Megan, and her husband, Tom, have a daughter named Abigail.
Lynch said that the police department organized a going away celebration for him a few weeks back. Lynch said Chief Williams made him give a speech. Lynch said he got emotional. The little one sauntered over to grandpa to check up on him.
It underscored the importance of family, especially to police officers, who don’t want to bring home certain events and memories.
Lynch said he has been essentially on call to the department 24 hours a day going back to 2016. That type of duty can be tough on a marriage and a family.
Lynch recalled getting called into work on an Easter Sunday, as he was helping his wife, Dalila, getting ready to host about 20 guests.
“She had every right to be angry, because I’m leaving her by herself, but she never complained,” Lynch said. “You know what she said? She said to me, ‘Do you think at least you might have a chance to eat something?’
Lynch met his wife six months before he was hired.
“She’s been with me the entire ride and, like I said, I made it through relatively unscathed mentally because of her,” Lynch said.
Lt. Lynch’s last day with the Ansonia Police Department was scheduled for Tuesday, June 30.
“Lt. Lynch has served this community well for 36 years and has earned his retirement,” Chief Williams said. “His sound judgment, unwavering integrity, and steadfast leadership have been invaluable to both me and this department, and his absence will be deeply felt.”