ENFIELD, CT — Thomas Chagnon, who became one of Enfield’s first canine officers in the early 1980s, died recently. He was 78.
Chagnon joined the Enfield Police Department in 1976, shortly before institution of the canine program. He was partnered with a German shepherd known as Satan.
“Those dogs are only as good as their handlers, and Tom was great,” retired Police Chief Carl Sferrazza told Patch. “He was such a loyal friend; when he was standing behind you at a call, you felt confident.”
Find out what's happening in Enfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Retired Lt. Pat Droney met Chagnon as an auxiliary police officer when he was 19. Chagnon later became his training officer.
“Tom was one of the guys I looked up to,” Droney told Patch. “To say he was a mentor is an understatement. Tom had a dry sense of humor, but was what I would call a ‘cop’s cop.’ He was a no-nonsense kind of guy, but I honestly don’t remember a time when he lost his temper. He taught me a lot – mostly not to get near Satan when he was in bite mode. While I was in my FTO program, I was with my trainer and another officer called for assistance at a crash on Shaker Road. Well, we ended up in a brawl with an entire family in the middle of the road. I got too close to Satan and yup, he got me. Just enough so I remembered never to do that again.”
Find out what's happening in Enfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Retired Lt. Jim Laurino told Patch, “Tom was a cop’s cop, first and foremost. He had tremendous common sense. He kept things simple and in a subtle way, taught a lot of younger cops how to be good ones. For that, I’ll forever be thankful to him.”
Chagnon retired in 1998, but not before seeing a dream come true. In May of that year, his son, Tommy, joined the department, making what is believed to be the first father-son legacy duo on active duty at the same time. The younger Chagnon is currently the longtime school resource officer at John F. Kennedy Middle School.
“He was just a tremendous man, tremendous husband and father, but also a great police officer,”Droney said. “He taught me a lot. The world is a lesser place with Tommy (235) not in it.”
Funeral arrangements are currently incomplete.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
Click Here: kerry gaa jerseys