By John Schwing

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect comments by First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker made following its publication. She also criticized the article as “misleading,” saying there is no “speculation” over the police chief’s future. The Westport Journal stands by the article and its reporting on the lack of public information about the change in job status for the town’s top public safety officer.

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WESTPORT — Police Chief Foti Koskinas’s contract with the town expires next month, but with no public information available about the future of the Police Department’s leadership, interest in the agency’s top command is growing.

Reliable sources, however, tell the Westport Journal there is an undisclosed amendment to the chief’s current three-year contract that, with funding approval, would keep Koskinas in the post until November 2025.

First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker — who appoints the police chief — has made no public comment on the future of the police chief’s position, even though Koskinas’s current contract ends Sept. 30.

But sources indicate that she and the chief both signed the amendment to his contract in December 2022.

Whether the amendment to Koskinas’s contract is still valid or the first selectwoman plans another course of action remains a matter of speculation.

Tooker did not respond to questions emailed Friday to her and her staff about the amended contract and the future of Police Department leadership. Nor did a police spokesman.

Tooker, however, did respond Saturday, saying she was on vacation and unable to immediately answer the Journal’s questions. In an emailed statement, she confirmed the December 2022 contract amendment to Koskinas’s contract will take effect, keeping him in the chief’s job until Nov. 1, 2025.

“Chief Koskinas was given an initial three-year contract in September 2021, and I extended it in December 2022 for an additional period of time to Nov. 1, 2025, which I have the sole authority to do,” Tooker said. “The Police Chief’s salary can be found in the Police Department annual budget, reviewed carefully by the Board of Finance during budget season in the spring, then reviewed by the RTM committees, and finally reviewed and approved by the full RTM at their annual budget meeting.”

Koskinas, widely respected during his tenure as police chief since March 2016, is nearing the end of an employment agreement he signed in September 2021 with then-First Selectman Jim Marpe.

The chief — a Staples High School graduate who grew up in town and joined the police force in January 1996 — has been a familiar figure around town despite demands of his job, attending community events and public meetings outside his immediate responsibilities.

The former first selectman’s announcement of the 2021 contract with Koskinas was posted on the town’s website, where it still can be read. Nothing about the December 2022 amendment has been posted in the meantime. (The full text of Koskinas’s current three-year contract appears at the end of this article.)

To maintain command continuity since both Koskinas and Deputy Chief Sam Arciola were considering retirement in the fall of 2021, Marpe said both men agreed to retire with accrued benefits and then were rehired for specified time periods.

The former first selectman said the prospect of their retirement in 2021, which he described as “sensitive time in the evolution of police accountability and responsibilities at the national and local levels,” would be “a major loss to the town.”

Marpe also said at the time that other officers were “well on their way” to stepping into leadership roles, but that additional time was required “to develop the full range of skills and community relationships to be successful as the department’s senior leaders.”

The Police Department currently has two deputy chiefs — David Farrell and Ryan Paulsson.

Under terms of the 2021 three-year employment pact, Koskinas agreed to be paid an annual salary of $175,000 after being rehired, while collecting a pension of $115,182 annually.

Arciola, rehired for a period that ended in December 2022, was paid a salary of $160,600, with a pension of $127,121.

Finance Director Gary Conrad said at the time the combined contract changes would result in projected savings of $250,000 over the agreement’s three years.

Following is the full text of the current employment contract of Police Chief Foti Koskinas: