Thursday, July 4, 2019
www.plainvillecitizen.com
Volume 16, Number 22
Catania named Chief of the Year By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
Police Chief Matthew Catania was named Chief of the Year at the first annual Connecticut Law Enforcement Awards and Recognition dinner, held June 25 at Anthony’s Ocean Catering in New Haven. Michael Ahern meets Travis Mills on Memorial Day weekend in Augusta, Maine. Michael started a fundraising campaign, Scoops for Troops, that aims to raise $30,000 this summer to send recalibrated veteran families to the Travis Mill Foundation retreat in Maine.
9-year-old starts campaign to provide respite to veterans When 9-year-old Plainville resident Michael Ahern heads to Lakeside Scoops in Belgrade, Maine this July 4 while he and his family are enjoying their traditional summer holiday getaway, he’ll have a bit of company: Namely, upwards of a dozen children of veterans who have been injured serving our nation staying at the nearby Travis Mills Foundation Retreat.
And Michael is picking up the tab.
lies at the foundation’s retreat in Rome, Maine.
That’s because of Michael’s unusual-for-his-age appreciation for the service and sacrifice of our nation’s military veterans. Michael is making this summer one of fun and fundraising, engaging in a campaign to not only treat children of these veterans to free ice cream all summer, but to an all-expenses paid vacation for eight such fami-
The Travis Mills Foundation helps post-9/11 veterans who have been injured in service to our nation – many who have lost one or more limbs – overcome their physical obstacles, strengthen their families and get some richly deserved rest and relaxation. See Veterans, A4
“This is one of those milestones I’ll never forget,” said Catania, who has led the Plainville Police Department for nearly nine years. While grateful he was nominated for the award, Catania said the work the department does wouldn’t be possible without dedicated officers and a supportive community. The chief said, “I’m only as effective as I am because the officers here respond to my leadership style,” while he works to provide the tools and training they need to do their job. That style focuses on building bonds of trust with the community.
Plainville Police Chief Matthew Catania.
“When your police department is user-friendly, your community feels confident that they can reach out to the police,” he said. Catania was nominated for the award by Town Manager Robert Lee, who told the awards committee he has seen the department’s reputation, transparency and expertise grow under Catania’s leadership. Lee noted one incident where Catania returned to Plainville while on vacation in Rhode Island in order to back his officers. See Catania, A3
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