Detective Joseph Lopa was hired by the New Britain Police Department in 2005. During his career he has been assigned to the Patrol Division, Gun Task Force, Special Services Unit, Youth Bureau, Polygraph Unit and has been Deputized with the DEA on two separate occasions and was promoted to the rank of Detective in 2014. During his time with the New Britain PD, Joe has received over 20 Department Awards and 2 United States Attorney’s Office Awards for cases he assisted in investigating.
Joe has been a Certified Polygraph Examiner since 2014. He is also P.O.S.T. authorized to conduct pre-employment screenings in Connecticut. He graduated the National Polygraph Academy in Columbus, OH in 2014. He received the Distinguished Student Award while at Polygraph School, as voted on by his peers. He is a member of the American Association of Police Polygraphists, the American Polygraph Association and currently holds the position of Treasurer with The Connecticut Polygraph Association.
Joe has received several continuing education hours through polygraph seminars and P.O.S.T. in the area of Interview and Interrogation as well as criminal investigations. These trainings have assisted him in convicting several criminals for homicides, sexual assaults, drug trafficking, and other crimes, as well as obtaining confessions in numerous felony investigations.
Joe is certified by CT POSTC in the areas of Interview and Interrogation, Juvenile Law, Child Abuse and Neglect, Rape Crisis, and he is an MOI instructor. He received his bachelor’s degree in 2004 from Western Connecticut State University and completed his thesis study on “The Importance of Non-Verbal Communication in the Field of Law Enforcement.”
Joe has been an advisor with the New Britain Police Explorers since 2013, assisting New Britain’s youth who have an interest in Law Enforcement. He also assists with the “New Britain Becoming PALS” program and teaches at New Britain High School.