Mayor James Miron announces John Buturla, left, as the town's new police chief. Photo by Wayne Ratzenberger

Stratford's next police chief is a veteran law enforcement official with deep roots in the town.

John J. Buturla, a former State Police major, served as Director of Homeland Security for the state in 2004. His father, Joseph C. Buturla, who passed away earlier this year, retired as detective captain after 39 years with the Stratford Police Department. His older brother, Richard Buturla, is the town attorney.

"I guess you could say I'm coming home," Buturla, 47, said at a press conference called by Mayor James R. Miron to announce the appointment.

Police Chief Michael Imbro is retiring at the end of the month, when Buturla will succeed him.

Miron praised Imbro for his service to the Stratford Police for nearly four decades. The mayor said he was fortunate to have had his advice during his first year in office, which was a turbulent one for the police department.

"I couldn't have accomplished all I've done," said Imbro, "without the support of the officers and the support of the community."

Buturla was selected as the town's ninth police chief from among five finalists for the position. "In the end, the choice was clear," said Miron, though he added any of the other four finalists would have made a fine choice on his own.

But hiring Buturla offered some special incentives. The town will not have to provide him with a medical benefits package, and his $97,000 salary is lower than Imbro's, budgeted at $100,400.

In fact, the new chief is taking a pay cut. He currently works for New Haven as the chief administrative officer and director of emergency management where he earned about $105,000.

Buturla also has had top secret security clearance since 1999 when he served as the chief of staff for the State Police as well as the department's counter-terrorism liaison with the FBI.

Ironically, Miron said the town must hire a company to perform a complete background check of Buturla, even though he has top secret clearance, because it is a requirement of the Police Officers Standards Training Council for hiring a police chief.

Buturla made it clear that the opportunity to lead the local police department where his father served was a strong incentive for him.

Of the eight police chiefs in the town's history, he said he knew five of them.

His family has lived in Stratford since the early 1900s, though he and his wife, Catherine, currently live in Roxbury. He and his wife are graduates of Bunnell High School.

Numerous local police officials and high-ranking officers from other communities attended the press conference last Thursday, including Bridgeport Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood and New Haven Police Chief Francisco Ortiz.

Also present was an old friend, Trumbull First Selectman Ray Baldwin, who served as a rookie cop with Buturla in the Trumbull Police Department nearly 30 years ago.

The Stratford Police is a "wonderful department," he said, and though he didn't reveal them, he said he had his own personal goals for his service as chief.

Last year, the department came under criticism from African-American residents for allegedly tolerating discriminatory unfair treatment of minorities by some officers.

The allegations arose following an incident last March that led to police brutality charges against an officer by a town councilman who was arrested when he interfered with the officer's treatment of a teenage suspect.

Miron responded by ordering all police officers and all other town employees to receive racial sensitivity training. The training program began in the fall and is still ongoing.

Buturla said he thought the department was doing well for now. He said he wanted to hear from its officers and meet with community groups to hear about their concerns before starting any new programs.

Years of service
Buturla has a background in law enforcement going back 28 years.

Beginning in 1979, he was a Trumbull police officer for three-and-a-half years, then went to the State Police where he stayed for 23 years, rising to the rank of major.

At the State Police, Buturla was the commanding officer of the Major Crimes Division, of Professional Standards, and of Labor Relations, and also commanded patrol troops.

In October 2001, following the terrorist attacks, he was appointed as the state's deputy director of Homeland Security and was the official liaison for Connecticut with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

He rose to acting director, and then director of Homeland Security in 2004, until January 2005 when he was appointed director of scientific services for the Department of Public Safety.

Two months later, he accepted an appointment by New Haven Mayor John DeStefano as chief administrative officer for the city.

Buturla received a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Sacred Heart University in 1982, when he was recognized as "The Most Promising Criminal Justice Scholar" in his graduating class.

He received a M.S. degree in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven in 1988, where he received a Graduate Fellowship for Academic Excellence, and in 1999 he graduated from the FBI National Academy Program in Quantico, Va.

He teaches as an adjunct professor for the Graduate Program in National Security at the University of New Haven.

Buturla also serves as a member of the executive board of directors for the Connecticut Special Olympics.