Retiring Greenwich Officer Works Shift With 3 Sons

GREENWICH, CT — After over four decades of serving the community, Sergeant Mike O'Connor, 59, of the Greenwich Police Department was able to experience something truly special on the job Thursday morning: he got to work the same shift as all three of his sons.

O'Connor is a veteran of the department, having served for 43 years. He began his career as a volunteer firefighter in 1976, and finally became a Greenwich Police officer on July 6, 1984.

His career includes seven years as an Accident Car Officer, now called a Master Police Officer, then as a Patrol Supervisor, Shift Commander and finally his current position as Commander of the Marine Section.

He is set to retire at the end of the month, and as a special treat the department was able to coordinate Patrick, Mike Jr. and Billy O'Connor's schedules so they could share a shift with their dad for the first time.

"It was definitely a surreal experience," Billy O'Connor, 26, said. "It's not that it's nerve-racking, because at the end of the day he is our dad, but at the same time I think you always want to make your dad proud, so it was definitely a great experience."

The O'Connor men drove around on patrol together, and even took time to make a special stop along the way.

"We actually went back to our old house we used to live in, which is in Old Greenwich," Patrick O'Connor, 28, said. "I had an old photo of my dad posing in front of a Royal Blue Crown [Victoria]. That's how we knew him when we were young...all my memories are of him in uniform pulling up in a cruiser."

As kids, the three O'Connor boys would often wait for their dad to come home from work so they could see him arrive at the house in uniform.

"That's the life we grew up in," Patrick O'Connor said. "It's weird, because it's like the only life you know. I could never imagine working behind a desk or working what people consider a normal profession."

Mike O'Connor Jr., 31, echoed his younger brother's opinion.

"We grew up around [police]," Mike O'Connor Jr. said. "When we were kids, we were going to softball games, police picnics and outings, stuff like that. For me personally, what drew me to this career as a whole was this sense of family. Even guys that we're working with now, we knew them when they were newer officers, so it's kind of cool to see how they've progressed."

Unlike their father, each of the O'Connor sons worked in other areas prior to Greenwich. Patrick O'Connor was the first to become a police officer, getting a job with the Naugatuck Police Department. Billy O'Connor followed in his brother's footsteps and ended up at the Old Saybrook Police Department.

O'Connor said his oldest son "took his time" to become an officer, first working in business in Norwalk before deciding one day he wanted to take the police exam, after which he got a job at the Greenwich Police Department. His brothers would later transfer to the department, excited about the idea of working on the same police force as their brother and father.

Though he said he tries not to worry, O'Connor does hope his sons are blessed in their careers the same way he has been.

"It's a dangerous job," O'Connor said. "I'm fortunate that I got through my entire career with a little scrape and bruise here and there, but I'm going out...full strength. There's a lot of ways to get hurt here, so I'm just hoping they have a safe career."

Chief Jim Heavey praised the four O'Connor men for their hard work and dedication. He also pointed out that although the sergeant's three boys are brothers, they are not "O'Connor clones" and are each very different.

"Every one of them has a unique personality. It's not like you're getting a cardboard cutout of Mike O'Connor Sr.," Heavey said. "You're getting three very good officers, because of their education and training here but more importantly the excellent rearing that they got from [their parents]."

As happy as he was to share some time on the job with his sons, the day was also a little emotional for O'Connor, who held back a few tears when talking about what makes him so proud of his boys.

"We're a very close family. They make me proud just in general, there's no one thing," Heavey said. "They're good boys."