Riverside Resident Becomes Greenwich's Newest Police Officer

Riverside resident Jeffrey R. Franco was sworn in a Greenwich's newest police officer on Wednesday.

In a Greenwich Town Hall ceremony, the 2003 Greenwich High School graduate was sworn in by First Selectman Peter Tesei, who's also the town's Police Commissioner.

Franco will forego the usual six-month police academy training as he has been working as a police officer in Bridgeport since 2011. Instead, Franco will receive six weeks of classroom and field training "and probably be in a car in six weeks," said Police Chief James Heavey.

Franco is the second police officer hired by Greenwich in the past year in what Heavey said is a lateral transfer from another department. "It saves the town (police) academy tuition and saves nine months of salary," Heavey said.

Even though Franco already is state-certified police officer, he still had to run the gauntlet through a battery of physical, mental and psychological exams before he was hired as the department's 154th officer, Heavey added. The department is now one officer shy of its authorized strength of 155.

Franco isn't a stranger to the Greenwich Police Department. He is a 2010 graduate of the Greenwich Citizen’s Police Academy. Heavey said that Franco is the first graduate of the Citizens Police Academy to become a Greenwich Police officer.

Franco also completed a senior internship with Greenwich Police Department in 2003 and was a Greenwich Police Explorer from 1999 to 2003.

Franco said of his appointment, "it was a long road to get here ... I'm back in town and that's great. It's good to be home." His field training officer will be childhood friend Officer J.D. Smith. "We grew up together and were in the Police Explorer program together. It's good to see him come board," Smith said.

Franco attended Hofstra University where he studied graphic design and fine arts and previously worked as a fitness instructor and personal trainer at Planet Fitness in Stamford.