Vet Fulfills Dream of Police Work

Greenwich Police Officer and Navy veteran Craig Zotolla says he’s seen a shift in the way veterans are treated since the war began in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“You can’t swing a cat now without hitting someone who served in Iraq or Afghanistan,” said Zotolla. “There seems to be an outpouring of help with raising awareness and programs for vets. It’s unprecedented to have reservists doing multiple tours. I have friends going back on their third and fourth tours. They’re hounding me, but luckily I’m a little long in the tooth at this point.”

Zotolla has been a lieutenant commander in the Navy reserves for 11 years. During his first tour, he led a team analyzing terrorist threats to the U.S. and worked closely with joint terrorism task forces, briefing various government entities. He headed up a small, specialized counterterrorism task force in Qatar before his second tour, where he ran a joint operation task force as well as a counterintelligence program for the CIA in Iraq.

Zotolla said several members of his family also served in the military. Two uncles were in the Army, another uncle was in the Air Force and his father-in-law was a Marine. When he graduated from Pace University, Zotolla was interested in federal law enforcement, but due to a hiring freeze, he held off and entered the Navy Reserves. “It seemed like a tradeoff, a few weeks a month, but little did we know what would happen,” said Zotolla. “But it was kind of a calling.”

After back-to-back tours of duty, Zotolla worked as an IT executive before receiving an opportunity to fulfill his longtime desire to enter law enforcement. He began working with the Greenwich Police Department in February 2009.

“It’s what I wanted 20-some odd years ago and I’m finally getting a chance to do it,” said Zotolla. “I love it, it’s a great department and it’s a wonderful town to serve. People are really appreciative of the job we do out there.”

On Veterans Day, Zotolla said he’s working the night shift   but will also spend time with his family and catch up with old friends. “We reminisce about our time and thank all of those around us who served,” he said. “It’s nice to see the parades and functions. It means a lot to the folks that served oversees when they come home and see that appreciation. … We don’t look for it, we just go do our jobs, but it’s nice to have.”

 

Click here to follow Daily Voice Greenwich and receive free news updates.