Meet Clinton's First Female Corporal

It was a chain of events that turned a promotion into a newsworthy event.

When of the retired , he left an open position soon filled by Sgt. John Carbone. When Carbone was promoted, his position was filled by Cpl. Scott Jakober.

That left an open corporal position on the roster at the CPD. Soon after, Officer Natasha Pucillo was promoted to corporal on July 23, 2012, making her the first female corporal and supervisor in the history of the CPD.

This was confirmed by Chief of Police Todd Lawrie, who said, "She is both the first female Corporal and Supervisor. I am very proud of her and have very high expectations."

Pucillo grew up in Clinton, the daughter of Terry and Arthur Lang, Jr.  Many remember the Lang family, including grandfather Arthur Lang, as active lobster-men.

Spending most of her childhood on or near the water, Pucillo's goal was to work in law enforcement for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), which she did accomplish following her graduation from Roger Williams University with a BS in Marine Biology.

She worked for the DEEP in their Marine Fisheries organization for two years until a hiring freeze and layoff put a kibosh on that job. She then took a job as a police officer with the Wallingford Police Department where she was the only female member of the SWAT team. 

Soon, her hometown of Clinton called. She joined the CPD six years ago as an officer.

Pucillo has many roles at the CPD - supervisor, investigator, instructor, and trainer.

"If there's no sergeant available, you run the shifts," said Pucillo.

She's an instructor in firearms, teaching other officers and recruits the necessary tactics and safety instructions in handguns, shotguns and rifles. She received instructor status through the Academic Law Enforcement Council and teaches firearms at the Madison Police Department, the Law Enforcement Council, the Clinton PD and at the police academy.

"I'm also an instructor in the use of tasers, pepper spray, hand-cuffs and the baton," said Pucillo. "Essentially everything on our belts."

She's a Field Training Officer (FTO) for recent police academy grads who spend the first three months of the job with an experienced officer learning the ropes and the streets of Clinton.

She and officer Greg Matakaetis also run the CPD's internship program.

"If college students are interested in a career in law enforcement, they come here and spend 150 hours or so with us," she said. These are students heading into their senior year of a local college specializing in the criminal justice field.

When she's not paving the way for other female officers, she and her husband, Doug Pucillo, and yellow lab mix "Buddy," live along the shoreline and enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities.