Seymour Deputy Police Chief Closes Book on 33-Year Career

SEYMOUR – Seymour Deputy Police Chief Roberto Rinaldi recently hung up his badge after serving more than three decades in law enforcement.

Rinaldi, 59, retired from the Seymour Police Department on June 30. He worked in Seymour for 25 years, starting out as a patrolman and climbing his way up the ranks to sergeant, commander, acting lieutenant and ultimately second in command, a position he’s held since 2018.

Prior to coming to Seymour, Rinaldi worked as a police officer for the Waterbury Housing Authority for four years, and later as a police officer in North Branford for four years. A Waterbury native who has resided in Beacon Falls for the last 24 years with his wife Rosetta, Rinaldi earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of New Haven.

Being a cop for more than half his life has been a rewarding career, Rinaldi said, especially being able to interact with the public and help ​“protect and serve” the community for so long. But the time was right to retire.

“To be honest, I was burnt out,” Rinaldi said. ​“Being a cop was a childhood dream, and getting to work with people and helping them is something I always wanted to do. As a kid, I loved watching all those cop shows on TV, like ​‘The Rookies’ and ​‘CHiPs.’ But I woke up one day and said to myself that it was time for me to hang up my badge. I wasn’t the fireball like I was in the past, and I didn’t have the heart for it anymore.”

Changes In Law Enforcement Over The Years

From the time he began his career in Waterbury in 1991 to today, Rinaldi said he’s seen some big changes in policing. He remembers a time when computers were just beginning to be installed in police cruisers, and when he didn’t carry a Taser.

One of the biggest changes, Rinaldi said, was the Police Accountability Act passed by state lawmakers in July 2020 in response to police brutality and claims of systemic racism within law enforcement. Among the mandates of that law was a requirement that all officers wear body cameras.

“I never felt comfortable with the body cameras, especially having never had to wear one for 33 years,” Rinaldi said. ​“Body cameras are good because they can protect an officer and they can also hold an officer accountable. Officers need to be accountable.”

Another mandate required more training for police, which Rinaldi fully got behind.

“There are stricter protocols now and they have improved training for officers, where you now have to take mandatory classes, for example, in sensitivity training and mental health training,” Rinaldi said. 

Perks Of The Job

Working in a small town like Seymour made it particularly rewarding for Rinaldi when he was able to make a difference in someone’s life.

He recalled a time about 15 or so years ago when there was a rash of purse snatchings happening in the Stop & Shop parking lot downtown. One of the victims was the late Pauline Lounsbury, a veteran reporter for the former Evening Sentinel and later Waterbury Republican-American.

“It took me about a month where I was finally able to arrest the suspect, but Pauline was so grateful,” Rinaldi said.

Rinaldi remembered almost having to help deliver a baby right in the police department’s parking lot on Franklin Street, but a fellow officer had already sprung into action as Rinaldi raced to the car.

“The dad ran into the building shouting his wife was having a baby, but when I got to their car, the baby was already born,” he said.

Tough Times On The Job

The incidents Rinaldi has dealt with over the years haven’t always been so joyous. He recalled several times having to knock on a parent’s front door to inform them their son or daughter died in an accident.

“That’s the hardest part,” Rinaldi said.

Rinaldi remembers a triple fatal accident on Route 34 in 2021, where a toddler and her mom perished, as well as a murder-suicide a few months prior where a Monroe woman drove her car into Lake Ousatonic, killing herself and her 22-year-old son.

“These were tough to take,” he said.

During his time in Seymour, Rinaldi also helped train new police recruits as a field training officer, assisted in many of the downtown Halloween events for kids, helped run a drug awareness program for middle schoolers and oversaw mock car crashes to promote prom safety for teens. His work has earned him citations and commendations from MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and the department itself.

What’s Next?

As he adjusts to retirement life, Rinaldi, the father of two grown children, said he’s likely going to get a part-time job, or maybe even full-time, somewhere this fall.

“I was going to sit home and relax, but the boss (my wife) says I will be going to work,” Rinaldi quipped. ​“This is the first summer I’ve had off since high school. But in September, I’ll probably look for something. In the meantime, I’d like to take up golf, and the wife’s got me doing all kinds of chores around the house.”

As for some parting advice for up and coming officers, Rinaldi said it’s pretty straightforward.

“Treat people the way you want to be treated, and the way you would want your family to be treated,” he said. ​“Very rarely when police get called it’s not under good circumstances, but you have to go in there open-minded and with a level head to try to resolve the problem.”

Rinaldi said he’ll miss working in Seymour.

“I’m going to miss the camaraderie and a lot of the guys and girls I worked with, and the part where I get to help people on a daily basis,” he said. ​“I loved doing that and it was a great pleasure working for the Town of Seymour.”

What The Top Brass Is Saying

Seymour Police Chief John Bucherati commended Rinaldi’s experience and service.

“Deputy Chief Rinaldi possessed a wealth of institutional knowledge about the day-to-day operations of the Seymour Police Department,” Bucherati said. ​“He gave insight as to what was working and what he thought needed to be changed. He was always ready to jump in and help patrol with whatever they were working on, and he enjoyed being a police officer.”

Bucherati said with Rinaldi’s vacancy, the department will not replace him with a second deputy, but rather an administrative sergeant. He said the position will pay $93,593 and will be filled from within the department’s current ranks. He said promotional exams for the position will take place over the next few months, with the goal to fill the job early next year.

“I found with a department our size, we really don’t need two deputy chiefs,” Bucherati said. ​“By creating an administrative sergeant position, it gives somebody an opportunity to learn administrative work, work on accreditation tasks and oversee training and it prepares people for promotion in-house rather than having to go outside.”