Printer Friendly Version - William Joslyn: Goodbye Tears for 'Papa Bear'

During his three decades of police service, William Joslyn became an indispensable asset to the town. A SWAT team member since 1982, Bill was the department's expert on handling chemical agents and operating the emergency tank vehicle. He's also an EMT, he introduced the department to the use of pepper spray, and he acted as the department's first liaison to the town's senior center.

When Senior Patrol Officer William "Bill" Joslyn, considered by his fellow workers at the North Haven Police Department to be a cop's cop, announced his retirement after 29½ years of service, it was met with sadness and a fair dose of tears. But when Bill walked out the door of police headquarters for the last time he left behind a legacy that will inspire rookies for years to come.

Bill was 19 when he applied to the North Haven Police Department and 20 when he took the oath of office in December of 1980.

Long before Bill applied to the police department he was a volunteer fireman-as well as a farmer-and both were viable career options.

Once farming was crossed off his life goals list, Bill says, "I took the Wallingford fire test before I took this [police department] test and then in April 1980 I ended up with a cancerous tumor in my right side."

After surgery and eight months of chemotherapy the cancer was cured and Bill was already a sworn officer when he attended the police training academy in April 1981 after working as a dispatcher.

Bill was a mere month into his police career when he experienced one of his most memorable calls, which occurred while he was off-duty.

"I just happened to be going to get milk and I hear a shooting call come in [over the scanner] at the Waldbaum's parking lot," Bill recalls. "I had my varsity jacket on and I was just in front of Waldbaum's, so I turned in and a car [the suspect car] was coming out."

"I was thinking about ramming him with my van," Bill says, but since the state police were close by there were enough officers and troopers to chase down the suspect vehicle.

Bill proceeded to the scene of the shooting instead, only to be greeted by the horrid sight of a woman who'd been shot four times in the mouth with a .22 caliber gun.

"I could see the bullets in her mouth," Bill notes, and he remembers saying, "This woman's gonna die."

So he employed the training he'd received two days earlier by his supervising lieutenant about how to record a dying declaration from a victim.

"So I get a Waldbaum's shopping bag and I'm writing everything down that she's telling me when two firemen first show up on the scene," Bill says. "They don't know I'm a cop because I didn't have my badge with me. I'm telling them I'm a cop, that I just got sworn in, and they're like, 'Sure you are.'"

It was the chance of being in the middle of that kind of action that kept Bill very happily in the patrol division throughout his career.

"You get used to being out by yourself and being in control of yourself and you don't have to worry about anybody else," Bill says, adding, "And it's fun because you go to everything and you get to roll lights and siren. It's a kid's dream."

After Bill's May 31 retirement he'll return to work as a senior protective services officer on the midnight shift at Yale-New Haven Hospital. And he plans to visit the staff and officers he's leaving behind.

To nominate a Person of the Week contact Jason Marchi at j.marchi@shorepublishing.com or 203-245-1877, ext. 6166.