Alum Promoted to Chief of Police in Fairfield

Michael Paris wants to bring personal community interactions back to policing

After 20 years with the Fairfield Police Department, Michael Paris ’25 was recently sworn in as chief of police and was officially recognized as the department’s leader during a promotion ceremony Aug. 4.

Paris graduated from Notre Dame High School—now Notre Dame Prep of Sacred Heart University—in 2001 and immediately went to work as an emergency dispatcher for Bridgeport.

Growing up, Paris had ambitions of becoming a priest, until he met his wife, Kelly, in high school. “She had an apple in her hand, and I took a big bite, like Adam and Eve,” he said with a laugh. Paris now needed a new career path. His father had been a Bridgeport police officer for 30 years, and Paris remembered going through the streets of Bridgeport as a child, helping his father prepare for the physical aspect of the police academy. “When my trajectory changed, I was full throttle to be a police officer,” he said.

After five years as an emergency dispatcher in Fairfield, he applied to be a Fairfield police officer. “It’s a difficult process,” he said. The lengthy process involves written, oral and physical testing, interviews and psychological screening. In 2006, he was sworn in as a Fairfield officer.

Paris quickly built a reputation in Fairfield as a hardworking and community-focused officer. Starting in 2010, he was attached to the Connecticut State Police Urban Violence Task Force for two years and then moved to the FBI’s Safe Street Task Force, a federal gang unit where he worked for several years.

In 2016, he was promoted to sergeant and became the traffic unit supervisor. Tapping into his previous investigative experience with the state and federal units, he became a certified crash reconstructionist—investigating crash-related fatalities. “I found it comforting to be able to help families who were struggling and to be there for them long-term,” he said. In 2021, he was promoted to lieutenant, overseeing the special services division. He was promoted to captain in 2024, taking command of the field services bureau.

Paris decided to take the police chief exam and interview for the position because he believed his years of cross-agency collaboration and service in multiple units had prepared him to serve the department through leadership.

He also credits his strong relationships with officers in surrounding towns—something he’s been intentional about throughout his career. “We do things better together,” he said, emphasizing the importance of interagency collaboration in creating safer communities.

As he rose through the ranks, Paris also began thinking about earning his degree—something he had long put off. He admitted the thought of going back to school was daunting. Having grown up in the north end of Bridgeport, attended Notre Dame and currently serving as the president of the St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church across the street, there was only one choice. “Sacred Heart was home for me. I had no doubt that was the place I needed to be,” he said. He drove to the admissions office in Curtis Hall, walked in and said, “Please, help me sign up for classes.”

Despite his reluctance to return to school after such a long time, “I had such a great experience at Sacred Heart,” he said. He appreciated the academic challenge along with the opportunity to impart the wisdom of his lived experience in the classes for his criminal justice major.

The oldest of five, Paris is the first family member to earn a degree. “That’s something that I’m so proud of,” he said.

Paris attended classes with his department colleague Matthew Riendeau ’25, who just received a promotion to captain and field services bureau commander.

“Michael and Matthew were exemplary students whose experience provided them with a wonderful perspective on many of the important issues we discuss in the criminal justice classroom,” said Todd Matthews, chair of the sociology, criminology & criminal justice department. “They are truly outstanding alums who will continue to serve the Fairfield community with honor.”

For the police department, Paris would like to see a return to face-to-face interactions with the community. He appreciates technology and the speed with which it allows the dissemination of information. However, “Social media is one-way communication,” he said. The department needs to shift to a more “people-first” mentality.

To achieve this, Paris would like to see officers out of their cars, walking the streets and beaches of Fairfield, having conversations with residents and visitors and creating a community of both accessibility and safety through presence.

Residents will see Paris leading by example, inspired by John J. Petillo, president of Sacred Heart University. “Dr. Petillo puts himself out there as a community president,” he said. Petillo often walks the campus, talking with students, and has an open-door policy, making him highly approachable. “As chief, I’d like to be just like Dr. P.”