When Foti Koskinas walked into the Easton Police Department on his first day as chief, he brought with him not just decades of law enforcement experience but also a leadership philosophy grounded in transparency, accessibility and community connection.
Sworn in on June 9 to replace retired Chief Richard Doyle, the former Westport Police Department chief is settling into his new role with a focus on strengthening relationships and preparing Easton for its next chapter in public safety.
“I have an absolutely open-door policy,” Koskinas said. “That doesn’t go just for my staff and employees; that goes for the entire community of Easton.”
Koskinas emphasized the importance of being physically present in town spaces, meetings and community events.
“I think being present and understanding who the people are that attend those meetings, who the key stakeholders are, and learning who they are and showing that it is important to me or I wouldn’t take the time to be there,” he said.
One of his early priorities has been forging relationships with local faith leaders. He has been meeting clergy across town, sitting down in church offices and learning about the needs of congregations large and small.
“I am reaching out to all of our clergy, getting to know people through the churches,” he said. “It’s been very successful in building those relationships.”
Koskinas drew national attention in 2022 while serving as Westport police chief after the department partnered with local organizations to launch a voluntary registry designed to help family members, caregivers and loved ones of people with mental health conditions.
But his work in Easton extends beyond face-to-face outreach. Koskinas was a key figure in the town’s push to modernize its emergency response system through a regional public safety dispatch initiative.
In December, residents approved a proposal to move the town’s emergency dispatch operations to a regional center in Fairfield, marking a significant shift in how police, fire and EMS calls will be handled.
At a Dec. 10 special town meeting, residents authorized allocating $615,000 to transition to the Fairfield County Regional Dispatch Center. Town officials said about $300,000 of the cost is eligible for state reimbursement, while roughly $165,000 would come from savings in the current budget cycle.
Koskinas and other public safety leaders endorsed the move, saying a regional center staffed around the clock would improve response times and replace aging communications equipment. Easton’s dispatch operations will eventually move to the regional center at Sacred Heart University, which already serves Westport, New Canaan and Fairfield.
“It’s about strengthening relationships,” he said, “and preparing Easton’s public safety infrastructure for the future.”
As he continues to navigate his first months on the job, Koskinas remains focused on the core principles he believes define effective policing: trust, accountability and connection.
