In the course of Eric Olesen’s service to the Town of Wilton, one episode is such that if a novelist put it in a book, an editor would question its believability.

“I remember being at a call seconds after a child was born -- the couple didn’t make it to the hospital, so I administered aid. The little boy who was born that day has the same birthday as me,” said Olesen.  

The chief of the Wilton Police Department reflected recently on the prospect of not putting on his uniform and badge after 34 years in law enforcement, as he’s retiring April 1. Those years included assisting with the arrival of another baby whose parents hadn’t made it to the hospital, by the way. 

Olesen was asked what he’ll miss after more than three decades. 

“My staff, and the community,” he said. “You get to know people, and now, I’ve gotten to know a second generation of residents in town.” 

The perils of the job create memories, and Olesen said that the mind works in a certain way. 

“In your brain, the negative stuff can outweigh the positive in the things you recall,” he said.

Keenly aware of this, he plans to take some time off, for starters.

“I’ll spend some time restructuring my brain after this,” he said.

Olesen came to to the region from California in 1979, and still has a preference for a warmer, snowless environ. Thus he has his eye on Myrtle Beach, S.C., eventually, but not for a while. 

“I’ve got projects I want to tackle here house-wise,” he said. 

For all his years on the force, the last decade is when Olesen said he has noticed the biggest changes in policing.

“There’s a lack of interest in (going into the law enforcement) field. Thirty years ago you’d have multiple applicants for a job - not now,” he said.

However, he added it takes a distinctly unique individual to pursue such a career.

“It’s a special type of person who goes into emergency services,” he said, adding there has also been a special kind of focus on police in particular, relative to other first-responders, in terms of media attention over the last decade. He also noted that there has been more community-based involvement over that period, as well. 

Olesen is looking forward, and opts not to touch on challenges in policing such as staffing in smaller communities. 

“If someone is thinking about a career in an emergency service, in particular in law enforcement, it’s very rewarding. And camaraderie among your peers, it’s paramount - it can’t get any better,” he said.

He also made it a point to reach out to local residents.

“I’d like to thank Wilton for its support, and my family for putting up with my 30-year career,” he said. “And those mentors who’ve guided me along the way.”