Newtown Police Chief James Viadero is leaving to become chief inspector in the Connecticut Office of the Inspector General.  The role was created through the passage of An Act Concerning Police Accountability. 

The resignation announcement was made during the Police Commission meeting on Tuesday night.  Viadero plans to stay on as Chief in Newtown until the end of January. 

Viadero served as a Bridgeport police officer for 29 years, was a Newtown Police Commission member from 2009 to mid- 2014, and then became Middlebury’s police chief before returning to lead Newtown Police.  Commission members touted his work over the last six years, getting the department into a new building, and fostering a great working environment. 

The new independent office within the Division of Criminal Justice will be responsible for conducting use of force investigations of peace officers, prosecuting cases where the Inspector General determines a peace officer used force to not be justifiable, and making recommendations to the Police Officer Standards and Training Council concerning censure and suspension, renewal, cancelation, or revocation of a peace officer’s certification.