http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-bretthauer5dec29,0,3327637.story?coll=stam-news-local-headlines
By Valerie Montinat
Special Correspondent
December 29, 2006
STAMFORD -- Susan Bretthauer is a pioneer in the Stamford police department.
After five years as a captain, Bretthauer is the first woman named assistant police chief in the city.
Bretthauer was sworn in yesterday by Mayor Dannel Malloy in a ceremony at the Stamford Police Academy on Belden Street.
Bretthauer said she looks forward to helping Chief Brent Larrabee improve technology in the police department and give officers the tools they need.
"I think it's an honor and an opportunity to help the chief achieve the goals he has set," Bretthauer said.
Bretthauer displays a rare enthusiasm and passion for being a police officer, the chief said.
"You don't find that often in people," Larrabee said.
Bretthauer said she always knew she wanted to be a cop. As a child, she was attracted to the idea of putting the bad guys away, but for her, her job has always been about helping people.
"I'm very proud of her and what she has done," Laura Bretthauer said of her sister.
Laura Bretthauer said the qualities that stand out most about her sister are her confidence, intelligence and ability to do her job well.
Susan Bretthauer, a native of the Bronx, N.Y., joined the police department in 1983 after working for the Easton police for four years. She was the Easton department's first female officer.
"It's great to see a woman break ground in the police department and become assistant police chief," Stamford police Lt. Elizabeth Erickson said.
Erickson and Bretthauer are the only women in middle-management positions in the police department.
Erickson said she admires Bretthauer and sees her as a role model for young women.
"She is a very strong and intelligent person who's paving the way for women and minorities," Erickson said.
Patrol Officer Hugh Mullin, who has known Bretthauer for 20 years, said she started as a patrol officer and worked her way through the ranks.
"There's a twinkle in her eye," Mullin said. "She'll be police chief before you know it."
Copyright © 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.