NOT a pretty picture. The local print media chose not to focus.
The new year saw the retirement of Michael Pacewicz, Greenwich Police Department’s only remaining Captain. GPD Chief David Ridberg commented that Captain Pacewicz served in almost every division in the department, and did so well.
As a member of the GPD Community and Police Partnership (CAPP) I got to know Captain Pacewicz who headed the East Sector CAPP at its formation. In some ways he was a quintessential cop – part Kojak, part Jack Webb, part Sam Spade. I knew whenever I asked Captain Pacewicz a question that I would get a straight answer. I might not like his answer, but it would be frank. He was direct, unvarnished, and at times blunt.
The local newspapers chose to emphasize the controversy surrounding his appointment as captain in their coverage of the Pacewicz retirement. The controversy resulted in prolonged litigation which has a current impact on our Greenwich: an injunction against filling vacancies in any GPD rank higher than Lieutenant. With Pacewicz’s retirement there are no remaining captains or deputy chiefs. Imagine an Army with a single General and no Colonels, Majors, or Captains. NOT a pretty picture – but a picture on which the local print media chose not to focus. (We will focus on the implications of the injunction in a future post which is currently being fact-checked.)