BEACON FALLS — Beacon Falls has undergone a changing of the guard.
The town’s new resident state trooper is now on the job. Humberto Henriques, 38, took the position on Dec. 22.
“There’s a lot to learn. I’ve been busy going around to businesses and trying to introduce myself and get familiarized with the roads here,” said Henriques last week.
Henriques, a Naugatuck native and Prospect resident, took over after the town’s former state trooper, Andrew Borelli, left to pursue other career options.
Although this is his first post as a resident state trooper, Henriques is no stranger to police work. He began his career in law enforcement 13 years ago as an officer in Torrington, where he rose to the rank of detective. After about five years in Torrington, Henriques joined the state police.
As an officer in Torrington, Henriques said, he got the opportunity to do a lot of community policing and handle different types of investigations. As a state trooper at Troop G in Bridgeport, he predominantly handled highway accidents and traffic enforcement.
After working on the highway for many years, Henriques wanted to get back to interacting with the community.
“I realized after being there for seven years I missed a lot of the community policing and having interactions with people,” Henriques said. “That’s ultimately what led me here to Beacon Falls.”
Now that he is the town’s resident trooper, Henriques has an idea of how to make the department more accessible.
“I think that my predecessor did a great job. I’d like to continue what he did and do a few more things. The big thing is social media. I’d like to implement a Facebook page,” Henriques said.
Henriques said he would like to use Facebook to inform residents about incidents in town, such as road closures, seek information on ongoing investigations and get feedback from residents about problems in town, such as speeding.
Henriques also wants residents to know they can reach out to him in person.
“The big thing with me coming here is to improve communication. I want to be very approachable. I want people to know they can come to me for anything. They can come here and ask for me by name. I’m a very approachable person and I will do the best I can to help them,” Henriques said.
In addition to interacting with the community, Henriques’ job is to ensure the department runs smoothly.
“My responsibilities are basically to ensure that the patrol functions are being implemented properly, that we are out here doing our job, that we’re making contacts, and that calls for service are being handled properly. My job is to oversee that and make sure things are being handled properly. In addition to that, I also have responsibilities of my own. When I do a criminal investigation I want to make sure I do the best job possible and I want to make sure co-workers and people I work with here in Beacon Falls are doing the same,” Henriques said.
Henriques said one of the reasons he chose to take the position in Beacon Falls is he always admired resident state troopers.
“I’ve always had aspirations to be a resident trooper,” Henriques said. “I was hoping to get an opportunity in one of the three town’s Troop I covers.”
As Henriques settles in he is looking forward to getting to know the community he is sworn to protect.
“I just love the aspect of community policing, especially in smaller communities where I’m going to get a chance to know a lot of people by first name and to build a rapport.” Henriques said.
Welcome Trooper Henriques. Look forward to meeting you.