Suffield Trivia

1. When the Police Department was set up in 1942, 11 Supernumerary Officers, including Harold Hill who became the Police Chief, were sworn in and subsequently sent to Police School taught by the County Detective from the State’s Attorney’s Office. How long was the training?
   a. 3 months
   b. 1 year
   c. 12 days

2. What is the age range to be a Suffield Police Cadet?
   a. 13-17
   b. 13-18
   c. 13-20
   
3. When was the Police Cadet program formed?
   a. 1965
   b. 1970
   c. 1975
   
4. How many police officers are in the Suffield Police Department?
   a. 15
   b. 25
   c. 21
   
5. Does the Police Department have a drone?
   Yes or no
   
6. When was the first female police officer hired in Suffield?
   a. 1955
   b. 1949
   c. 1961
   
7. When was the current police station built?
   a. 1988
   b. 1978
   c. 1998
   
8. Where was the police station previously located before its move to its current location?
   a. On the bottom floor of the current Town Hall.
   b. On the bottom floor of the old Town Hall which was located on Main Street.
   c. In the First Center School on Bridge Street which was closed as a school in 1939 when McAlister School was opened.
   
9. What was the new addition that the police got in Fall 2025?
   a. A motorcycle
   b. A Police Dog named Rico
   c. A Tesla truck
   
10. Before there was a police department in Suffield, who kept the peace in town? Choose all that are correct.
    a. Sheriffs
    b. Constables
    c. Vigilantes

Answers:
1. c. 12 days
2. c. 13-20
3. b. 1970. It was instituted by Police Chief Frank Sutula.
4. c. 21
5. Yes. The Suffield Women’s Club donated it in 2023.
6. b. 1949. Margaret (Peggy) Butler was the first female police officer. At first, she worked part-time on traffic duty but after a few years became full-time with more responsibilities.
7. a. 1988. The station was built under the helm of Chief Murray Phelps.
8. a. On the bottom floor of the current Town Hall.
9. b. A Police Dog named Rico
10. All are correct. Sheriffs were responsible for enforcing laws, collecting taxes, overseeing elections and jails. Constables patrolled the town and handled civil processes and tax warrants. There was a sort of vigilante group in town known as The Society for the Detection of thieves and Robbers. Organized in 1865, they protected the members of the group from horse thieves, although in 1892, they chased robbers who stole from the Post Office vault. The group was disbanded in 1923.