Update: Fowler Withdraws Acceptance to Become Windsor Locks’ Police Chief

This story was updated with additional information on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6 a.m.

This afternoon, the Hartford Courant confirmed reports that Branford’s Deputy Chief of Police has withdrawn his acceptance of the offer to become Chief of Police in Windsor Locks. Fowler accepted the conditional offer back in January and was selected from a pool of 70 candidates.

Fowler could not be reached today for comment and is away from his office in Branford at this time.

Windsor Locks First Selectman Steven N. Wawruck Jr. said Fowler withdrew his application last week but didn’t give a reason for why he decided not to take the job.

The Courant reports that Fowler e-mailed his decision to Windsor Locks’ human resources department Thursday morning.

The courant reports that Windsor Locks will return to their candidate pool to select another person for the job.

Officials said the Windsor Locks Police Commission is holding a special meeting Tuesday to discuss its next move.

Wawruck, who was a member of the final interview committee, said the town will now have return to the search process.

“(Fowler) was a great candidate,” Wawruck said. “There are many others that are well-qualified.”

Fowler was also recently in the running for a chief’s position in Boxford, Mass., which he did not get.

A North Branford native and current longtime Branford resident, Fowler had recently been up for the but was not selected – the Branford Police Commission chose former for the spot.

Before withdrawing his application, Fowler was in the hiring process with Windsor Locks to fill a vacancy left by Chief John Suchocki, who retired in August.

Fowler had been expected to begin the job as chief in March. Early last week, Windsor Locks officials said they were waiting for Fowler to complete  background checks, physical and psychiatric exams, and a polygraph test.

The commission conducted the search in the wake of the controversial handling of an October 29, 2010 fatal accident in which an off-duty police officer allegedly struck and killed 15-year-old Henry Dang with his car.

A few days after Suchocki’s retirement, an independent  report of police department actions following an accident was released. The report is critical of the actions of  Suchocki after the accident.

The report says that in Suchocki’s efforts to keep the investigation “clean” he mistakenly ceded his own control to the North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction Team. That action violated Windsor Locks’ own policies.