Richard J. Colangelo, Jr., Reappointed Chief State's Attorney; Kevin D. Lawlor Reappointed Deputy Chief State’s Attorney for Operations

June 22, 2021

The Honorable Andrew J. McDonald, Chair of the Criminal Justice Commission, announced today that the Commission has reappointed Richard J. Colangelo, Jr., as Chief State’s Attorney and reappointed Kevin D. Lawlor as Deputy Chief State’s Attorney for Operations.

Attorney Colangelo was appointed Chief State’s Attorney by a unanimous vote of the Commission at a virtual public meeting held today. Attorney Lawlor was appointed Deputy Chief State’s Attorney by a unanimous vote of the Commission during the meeting.

“I congratulate Chief State’s Attorney Colangelo on his reappointment and wish him the very best in this very challenging and critical position,” Justice McDonald said. “The Commission is appreciative of Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Lawlor’s commitment in guiding the operational units of the Division. Together, Chief State’s Attorney Colangelo and Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Lawlor bring 54 years of experience to the Division. They have shown selfless service on behalf of the people of Connecticut. The state is lucky to have both of them.”

Attorney Colangelo joined the Division of Criminal Justice in March 1993. He is the eighth person to hold the title of Chief State’s Attorney since the position was established in 1973. Before his appointment in January 2020, he had served as State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Stamford/Norwalk since July 2015.

As a trial prosecutor, Chief State’s Attorney Colangelo tried all types of major felony cases and also has been intricately involved in criminal investigations and criminal justice education. Throughout his career as a prosecutor, Colangelo has specialized in cases of child exploitation, both severe physical and sexual abuse, and child sexual exploitation cases involving the internet.

Chief State’s Attorney Colangelo is a graduate of Norwalk State Technical College, the University of Connecticut and the Quinnipiac School of Law. He has taught in Criminal Justice programs in the Connecticut community college system since 1995, at the University of New Haven since 2013, and the National Computer Forensics Institute in Hoover, Alabama, since 2011. He is a member of the Connecticut Sentencing Commission, Criminal Justice Policy Advisory Commission, Criminal Justice Information System Governing Board, and the Police Officer Standards and Training Council. He also oversees the specialized prosecution bureaus that operate out of the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.

As Chief State’s Attorney, Attorney Colangelo is the chief law enforcement officer for the State of Connecticut and administrative head of the Division of Criminal Justice, which includes the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney and the State’s Attorneys’ offices for the 13 Judicial Districts.

Chief State’s Attorney Colangelo’s appointment is for a five-year term beginning July 1, 2021.

Prior to his July 2018 appointment to Deputy Chief State’s Attorney for Operations, Attorney Lawlor had served as State’s Attorney for the Judicial District of Ansonia/Milford since June 2006 where he worked on several child sexual abuse cases which led to the successful conviction of many of the Judicial District’s most serious sex offenders. He also helped to create and supervise programs designed to reduce teen crime and has sat on a number of task forces and committees, including as tri-chair of the Governor’s Task Force Justice for Abused Children. He joined the Division of Criminal Justice as a Deputy Assistant State's Attorney in October 1995.

Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Lawlor is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University School of Law. He teaches several criminal justice courses in the Legal Studies Department at Quinnipiac University and the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven.

Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Lawlor’s appointment is for a four-year term beginning July 1, 2021.

The Deputy Chief State’s Attorney for Operations is responsible for oversight of specialized units in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, including the Appellate Bureau, Civil Litigation Bureau, Cold Case/Shooting Task Force Bureau, Statewide Prosecution Bureau, Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit and Witness Protection Unit.

Established pursuant to Article XXIII of the Connecticut Constitution, the Criminal Justice Commission is responsible for the appointment of all state prosecutors in Connecticut. In addition to Justice McDonald, Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, its membership includes Appellate Court Judge Melanie L. Cradle, attorneys Robert M. Berke, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Scott J. Murphy and Moy N. Ogilvie, and Chief State’s Attorney Richard J. Colangelo, Jr.