Gagne named chief of police Koether pegged as assistant chief

Gagne named chief of police
Koether pegged as assistant chief

Terri Miles, Editor
June 14, 2006

ORANGE - Robert Gagne is the unanimous choice of the Orange Board of Police Commissioners to take over as police chief.

Gagne, 46, is currently the assistant to Chief Joseph Dooley, who is retiring. There will be an informal swearing-in at 9 a.m. tomorrow at the department. The date for the formal ceremony has not been finalized, commissioners said.

The soft-spoken Gagne graduated at the top of his class from the Milford Police Academy with Dooley and the late Mark Greco.

Prior to becoming asst. chief, he served as commander of the Investigative Services Unit and commander of the Police Honor Guard.

When he was named assistant chief nearly three years ago, Gagne said integrity was the key to effective police work.

"Integrity is part of you. It's not something you have sometimes," he said.

Now, his integrity and 25 years of service to the Orange Police Department have earned him the trust of the town of Orange, the department and the Police Commission.

Gagne lives in Bethany with his wife, Laurie, and two children, Robert and Morgan.

Also this week, the board announced Sgt. Edward Koether would be Gagne's second-in-command. The choice for the assistant chief position was a tough one, with seven highly qualified Orange police sergeants and lieutenants in the running, commissioners said.

Koether, 48, also has been with the department for 25 years.

He joined the ranks in 1981 and was promoted to sergeant in 1987 and remained in the patrol division until 2004, when he was reassigned to the detective bureau. Two months ago, he was reassigned back to the patrol division.

For several years, he has been a member of the department's motorcycle squad, which he will have to give up when he is sworn in to his new position tomorrow.

He lives in Orange with his wife, Peggy, a former Orange police officer, and their three daughters.

First Selectman James Zeoli said the commissioners were faced with a pool of outstanding candidates for the positions and chose the best ones to lead the department.

"These are two good guys, and I'm sure they will serve the Town of Orange well," Zeoli said. "Together they have given a lot of years of service to the town and I have confidence that the commissioners made the right decisions."

Dooley will officially retire from the department tomorrow. After 25 years on the job, he will take on the position of director of public safety at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.

Dooley said both Gagne and Koether are well respected by the officers in the department and are known throughout the community for their professionalism.