Vernon Officer Known For Ground-Breaking Drone Work Retires

VERNON, CT — A former officer of the year also known for ground-breaking work in the use of drones has retired after more than two decades of service at the Vernon Police Department.

After more than 22 years of service, Sgt. Todd Thiel officially signed off from the Vernon Police Department on a recent afternoon.

"Todd's presence will have a lasting impact and he will be irreplaceable," police said.

Thiel was known for his even-keeled approach to police work and ground-breaking work with the use of drones for both apprehension and search-and-rescue operations. Thiel was a founding member of the department’s drone program.

Over the years, the VPD drone unit has had several high-profile calls, including:

• Helping locate a missing, distressed blind man in Enfield amid frigid conditions — and essentially saving his life.
• Finding a lost horse in Coventry.
• Spotting for crews getting a hiker off a cliff at Valley Falls Park.
• Pinpointing the exact location of suspects in a standoffs in Vernon and Enfield to assist negotiators (both ended peacefully).

It also took images of the famous dismantling of Sacred Heart Church in Vernon.

He began his career on Feb. 25, 2002.

In 2007, Thiel was the department’s Officer of the Year. That year, Thiel apprehended one of the most notorious sexual predator suspects during the peak of the MySpace era — Scott Shefelbine — who was accused of posing as an 18-year-old to lure young people when he was in his 30s, according to police records. Thiel caught him at the Fox Hill Tower in Vernon, police records show.

In 2008, Thiel was named the Tolland County State’s Attorney Officer of the Year. He was also a field training officer before he was promoted to Sergeant in 2008.

Thiel has served as the VPD Detective Division sergeant and, in his most recent role, he was the the VPD's training and planning sergeant.

"It is safe to say that Todd will be greatly missed by all of us here at the VPD. Please join us in wishing Todd a long and healthy retirement," police officials said.