Police Recertification

Kimberly Binette was hired by the Waterbury Police Department in July 2007. In August 2012, she was assigned to the Youth Squad as a School Resource Officer. In July 2014 Kimberly was assigned to the Sex Crimes Unit in the Criminal Investigations Bureau, in June 2015 she was appointed as Acting Detective in the Sex Crimes Unit and in 2017 was appointed Detective. In 2018 she was promoted to Sergeant and appointed as the Sergeant in Charge of the Sex Crimes Unit. In 2021 Kimberly was appointed as Officer in Charge of the Youth Squad. Kimberly Binette is a POST Certified Instructor for the Waterbury Police Academy and Training Division. She instructs Rape Crisis, Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking, Conflict Management, and Arrest and Control. Kimberly is also an Adjunct Faculty member of Post University Criminal Justice Program.

Kimberly Binette was born and raised in the City of Waterbury. She graduated from Sacred Heart High School and Post University where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Legal Studies. She earned a Master of Science Degree in Education from the University of Bridgeport and a Master of Public Administration Degree from Post University.

Academic Background:

• Massachusetts School of Law at Andover, Juris Doctor (JD)
• Excelsior College / Member of the University of State of New York, Bachelor of Science (BS-Cum Laude), Business
• Graduate of the Connecticut State Police Academy 102^nd Training Troop
• Graduate of the Municipal Police Training Academy 208 Training Session
• POSTC Instructor 3376 – Area 208 Search and Seizure 

Professional Background:
Lawrence Terra draws upon thirty-four (34) years of law enforcement experience. Early on in his career, he served as a municipal police officer for five (5) years and a federal law enforcement officer with the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve for eight (8) years. He then served twenty (20) years as a Connecticut State Trooper, rising to the rank of Lieutenant before retiring. He recently served as the second-in-command of the Canton Connecticut Police Department for over seven (7) years and held the rank of Captain. Currently he is an Assistant Police Chief with the West Hartford Connecticut Police Department.

In a separate and distinct capacity he is also a practicing attorney and associated with a private law firm in Connecticut, which handles civil law matters and training for law enforcement agencies.

Contact information:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (203)828-2368 (Fuze)

Maggie was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She arrived to the United States in 1986. Maggie’s journey to becoming a police officer was anything but traditional. The unexpected and unusual opportunity to become a police officer stemmed from struggling with homelessness and being a single mother.  These personal challenges have given Maggie a unique and more inclusive perspective into community policing and the criminal justice system.

Maggie graduated from Naugatuck Valley Community College with dual Associate’s degrees in Criminal Justice and Liberal Arts. Maggie continued her education by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice and Law Administration from Western Connecticut State University (Danbury, CT); a Master of Science degree in Education from the University of New Haven (West Haven, CT); and a Doctorate in Public Safety and Emergency Management from Capella University (Minneapolis, MN). Over her career, Maggie has been recognized with several police awards and commendations.

Maggie began her law enforcement career twenty-five years ago, serving a Connecticut municipality for 8 years before accepting a position with the UConn Police Department. Maggie has worked numerous assignments throughout her career, including Patrol, the Detective Bureau, Training, Professional Standards, Policy & Planning, Community Outreach, Clery, and the management of the accreditation process. Maggie was appointed as the UConn Police Department Deputy Chief of Police in March of 2017.

Maggie started the women’s self-defense program at UConn that eventually was transformed into what is now called Surviving Violent Encounters. Maggie created the Safety Techniques Awareness Resources Team (START) in an effort to initiate conversations about consent and increase awareness regarding the social problem of sexual assault on our campuses. While supervising the detective bureau, Maggie created the special victim’s unit to investigate sex assault through a trauma focused response lens. The goal of this initiative was to strengthen the capacity of officers to provide an effective response to victims of sexual assault from the initial report through the court process.  Maggie was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the Department facility dog program. Tildy our department’s first facility dog has a new partner named Carson, who will serve the regional communities thanks to Maggie’s expansion of the program.

Maggie prioritizes community engagement and outreach by regularly connecting with the community members she serves at UConn Health and at the Regional Campuses.  Maggie’s vision aligns with 21st Century Policing and focuses on improving and nurturing community relations, increasing diversity in recruitment, focusing on officer retention, and modernizing organizational effectiveness. Maggie believes in employing feedback from officers and the community to identify innovative ways to inspire and motivate officers. Maggie currently serves on the Governor’s Police Transparency and Accountability Task Force.

Maggie loves dogs and is passionate about senior dog rescue. Maggie volunteers with Cubby’s Crusade Dog Rescue where she has served as a foster home, conducted placement and is active in fundraising for the agency.

Maggie is a POST-C certified instructor of the following courses: Suicide Recognition, Leadership, and Field Training Responsibility. Maggie is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE); the Police Association of Connecticut (PAC); and the Connecticut Police Accreditation Coalition (Conn-Pac).

Officer Mario Caruso III has been a certified member of the Clinton, CT Police Department since 2016 and is currently assigned to the patrol division.

Officer Caruso is a Crash Reconstructionist, Field Training Officer, Firearms Armorer, and a Firearms Instructor. Officer Caruso is a POST-C Instructor in the areas of Firearms, Shooting Decisions, Low Light/No Light, Less Lethal Munitions, and Blue on Blue Off-Duty Encounters

Officer Caruso holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Norwich University.

Pete Hsieh is a retired law enforcement officer served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations. He is experienced in a wide array of investigative disciplines, including organized crime, human trafficking, terrorism, and special operations, with certifications as a technically trained agent, forensic linguist (Mandarin Chinese), undercover employee, Special Weapons and Tactics entry team member, and crisis negotiator. Pete holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the US Military Academy at West Point, a Master of Criminal Justice from Boston University, and is a Certified Information Security Systems Professional (CISSP).

Lieutenant Bessette is currently a 16-year veteran of the Waterbury Police Department since 2005. He has served in several positions in the patrol and community relations division.

In April of 2017, Lieutenant Bessette was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was assigned as the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Community Relations Division. In 2018, he was assigned as Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Waterbury Police Activity League and in September 2021 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and assigned as Officer in Charge of Community Relations, Police Activity League (PAL) and he also serves as the WPD Public Information Officer (PIO).

Lieutenant Bessette is a graduate of Naugatuck Valley Community College where he earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. He later attended Post University earning a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies and a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University.

Salvatore “Sal” Nesci retired from the Meriden, Connecticut Police Department in August 2016. There, Sal held numerous leadership positions, including School Resource Officer, D.A.R.E. Officer, Crisis Negotiator, Grants Administrator, Gang Intelligence Unit Supervisor, Community Police & School Resource Officer Unit Commander, Internal Affairs/Public Information Unit Commander, Professional Standards Commander, Acting Captain of Administration, and Acting Captain of Patrol.

Upon his retirement from Meriden PD, Sal became the Police Commander for the South-Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority(RWA) Police Department. The RWA, located in New Haven, Connecticut, provides 46 million gallons of water to 430,000 customers daily. There, Sal built collaborative relationships with local, state, and federal agencies, to ensure the protection of RWA critical infrastructure. Further, Sal was actively involved in business continuity planning, incident command training, and emergency management preparedness for the RWA.

Since February of 2015, Sal has been an associate faculty member at Post University, teaching courses in both the Emergency Management and Homeland Security program and the Master of Public Administration program. In February 2021, Sal’s duties expanded when he became the Program Coordinator for the new Police Recertification program. In this position, Sal is leveraging his almost 20 years as a POST-C (Police Officer Standards and Training Council) certified instructor to ensure the delivery of high-quality training courses to Connecticut law enforcement professionals.

Sal holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, a Master’s degree in Public Administration, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration, all from Post University. Sal is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and is currently active with the Guilford Police Department.

Sal has been a member of the NAACP, International Chiefs of Police Association, the Connecticut Chiefs of Police Association, and the FBI National Academy Associates.