Meet Jon Fontneau, Stamford's New Police Chief

Jon Fontneau is not officially chief yet, but he's ready. He's been with the department for more than three decades, most recently as Assistant Chief. The job is not alien to him. He's just not sure which office he'll be taking.

"This one's worked pretty well for me and it's got all my stuff," he jokes as he heads into the office at the right of the receptionist's desk. Now retired, Chief Robert Nivakoff's corner office sits empty to the left.

On Friday, Fontneau was named as Mayor Michael Pavia's choice for the Stamford Police Department's 15th chief. Fontneau couldn't have asked for a stronger list of endorsements. Aside from positive feedback from the department and the mayor, he has the backing of Nivakoff, who considers him a confidant and close friend, and who personally recommended him for the job.

Fontneau still has to be confirmed by the Board of Representatives to make it official, but he's hoping for a smooth transition and is upbeat about his chances. Several members of the board attended the mayor's introduction and Board Clerk Annie Summerville called it "a day Stamford should be proud of itself."

A modest man, Fontneau is clearly still a bit uncomfortable being heralded in such a way. He doesn't seem sure he really wants to talk about himself. But if you get him talking about the police department, you can watch him settle in. These are the men and women whose growth and evolution inspires as as he leads.

A Familiar Role

Fontneau said there's been little need for adjusting to the new role. Mainly, the fact that he's sitting and speaking with a member of the press is the newest thing for which he's had to adjust. 

"It's going well, but it's not a 9-to-5 job," he said. "It's a 24/7 job. Nothing [surprisingly] different has been going on, really. I'm just going to have to be more of a public face, stepping out of the shadows, so to speak. I'll have to start attending more government meetings."

Fontneau has been with the Stamford Police Department for his entire 32-year career. He credits the TV show "Adam-12" for getting the ball rolling and a strong, civic-minded upbringing for driving the idea home.

"My parents were teachers. Most recently, my father was a principal," said Fontneau, who noted that they've long since retired. "I went to school to become a social worker at Southern Connecticut State College. And then I took the state police and Stamford Police Department entrance exams and passed them both. Weighing between the two of them, I chose to come home."

Working his way up from patrolman, Fontneau became a detective, then moved up to lieutenant of the District 2 Downtown area. He then moved to the Division of Family Services' Youth Bureau before becoming uniform commander for the midnight shift. Finally, he joined the Narcotics & Organized Crime division before moving up to assistant chief two years ago.

His time in the department has afforded Fontneau ample opportunity to develop an intimate knowledge of the city and get to know the people he serves.

"Our police have changed so much over the years," Fontneau said, particularly reflecting on the last 10 years of urban renewal in the city. "The methods have changed. We're not just patrolling and chasing down alarms now. We went from being a reactive force to a proactive one. And I've been here to witness all of the changes — from policy changes to demographic and geographical changes. I was here when Main Street was all pool halls and gambling establishments."

Protecting Youth

Fontneau called Stamford a "building city," a place that has expanded, but evolved for the better. A place of progress. And Fontneau said the diversity in Stamford is as distinct as it is in any other place in the nation.

"What really benefits me is knowing all of the different aspects that fall under the umbrella of the city of Stamford," he said. "We have many different city sections and different communities within those neighborhoods. The things that are important to one area may be completely different than the concerns of another."

One of Fonteau's main priorities is the safety and well-being of children in the city. He and his wife, Heidi, have three children. His son, Michael, served overseas protecting the country. His daughter Kelly is a nursing student. Fontneau's daughter, Katie, was tragically lost in a car accident in 2010.

Fontneau said he would like to reinstate a program he helped previously establish through the department in which drug asset forfeiture funds were used to provide a camp for summer school students.

"In the 90s, we were arresting drug dealers who were symbolic of success in these neighborhoods," recalled Fontneau. "We wanted to take that away. So, together with DOMUS and the Board of Education, we took 100 kids the first year and employed high-school students as camp counselors and started a camp. We solicited funds for lunches, transportation and extra trips. We built relationships with these kids and let them know where the money was coming from and why we had it to spend." 

Fontneau said the department is actively looking to establish that same program, which at one time was hosting more than 400 students. Local businesses looking to take part in the program should contact the Stamford Police Department Chief's Office at 203.977.4424. 

Fontneau also played a key role in starting the Child Guidance Center after receiving training at Yale. Fontneau established a response team that worked directly with counselors, social workers and psychologists, who would respond with police officers and begin counseling immediately, free of charge, in violent cases involving a child.

"It's amazing, being able to provide help right then," Fontneau said. "These are serious cases involving kids—things like shootings, rapes, domestic assaults. And we're coming in and arresting kids' fathers or brothers sometimes and we become the bad guys. We needed to shed a different light on police officers and we've seen really successful progress."

Expanding a Shrinking Department

Fontneau again mentioned his plan to hire more officers for the department as another primary goal if and when his official role as chief was finalized. His plan accounts for 10 initial hires, and then 10 more each for spring or summer and the following fall.

"We're dealing with less officers than we've have had before," Fontneau said. "At one point we were slated to have 315. We're down to 269. We're doing more with less, still maintaining our perimeters on a tight budget. But we've been working with the mayor and Public Safety Director Ted Jankowski to bring more officers in."

The initial 10 hires will come from a list of candidates compiled following a July 14, two-part written exam which officials are stilled weeding through. After background checks are completed, oral interviews will be held starting on Oct. 16.