Rep. Callahan Honored by CT Police Chiefs Association with ‘Legislator of the Year’ Award

Plantsville, CT. — During a ceremony at the annual winter meeting of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association on Thursday, Representative Patrick Callahan (R-New Fairfield) was presented with a 2024 Carroll J. Hughes Legislator of the Year Award for his efforts on behalf of law enforcement in the State of Connecticut.

The CPCA Carroll J. Hughes Legislator of the Year award is named in honor of longtime lobbyist Carroll J. Hughes and is presented annually to lawmakers who have worked to support initiatives and legislation important to law enforcement. Hughes was a longtime and well-respected lobbyist who worked with the CPCA, and many other organizations.

Callahan has spoken out against numerous bills that CPCA was actively lobbying against such as the secondary stops bill and HB 5331, which had a section that would have prohibited the DMV Commissioner from suspending a driver’s license if that individual did not pay their speeding ticket, essentially removing the penalty for speeding. He’s also spoken numerous times and voted on attempted amendments to restore law enforcement the ability to conduct consent searches of a motor vehicle.

Before serving in the legislature, Callahan worked for almost 27 years as an Adult Probation Officer, 17 of those years as Chief Probation Officer. He worked with offenders to reduce recidivism and produce successful outcomes for the individuals sentenced to Probation.

“I grew up around law enforcement officers and have such respect for what these men and women do. That translates to having your back in Hartford,” said Callahan. “In my previous career I had the chance to work with numerous agencies, and now working with State Capitol Police, New Milford and Danbury departments, and State Police in New Fairfield and Sherman. I will continue to work to stop the unfair treatment of officers and stand up for what’s right for those keeping our communities safe.”

According to the Association’s website, “the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association is an organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of the residents of the State of Connecticut; to aiding other government bodies within and external to the State of Connecticut in the administration of justice, ensuring that all are treated equally before the law.”

The meeting was held at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville and featured a training segment for law enforcement officers, a mini product exposition, and networking and professional development opportunities.