ROCKY HILL - Lisa M. D’Angelo was sworn in on June 30, 2025 as Deputy Chief State's Attorney for Operations during a ceremony at the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill that marked an historic day for the Division of Criminal Justice.
Deputy Chief State’s Attorney D’Angelo is the first woman in the history of the Division of Criminal Justice appointed to serve in one of the Division’s three Deputy Chief State’s Attorney positions.
The swearing-in ceremony was covered by media, including Connecticut Public Radio and WFSB Channel 3
Before administering the oath, Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin emphasized to the dozens gathered in the Kevin T. Kane Training Center the historical significance of the event.
“Lisa D’Angelo will be sworn in today as the first female Deputy Chief State’s Attorney in Connecticut history,” Chief State’s Attorney Griffin told the crowd who met the news with a round of applause. “It’s a milestone for both the Division and the state of Connecticut.
Chief State’s Attorney Griffin recalled Deputy Chief State’s Attorney D’Angelo’s two decades at the Division that began in 2005 in the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office where she rose through the ranks from Special Deputy Assistant State’s Attorney to Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney. While working as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Geographical Area No. 23 in New Haven, Chief State’s Attorney Griffin said Deputy Chief State’s Attorney D’Angelo managed the busy “gun docket,” handling more than 300 felony firearm cases a year.
In 2014, she moved to the Judicial District of New Haven and quickly took on trial work in what Chief State’s Attorney called “one of the busiest, and unfortunately most violent jurisdictions” in the state. She went on to help create and supervise the Special Crimes Unit, the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Cold Case and Shooting Task Force Unit and was cross-designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. In 2021, she was promoted to Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney.
“During that time, she's acquired the skills and the experience that she will rely on in her new position,” Chief State’s Attorney Griffin said.
Following Deputy Chief State’s Attorney D’Angelo’s appointment in July 2022 to Executive Assistant State’s Attorney in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, she served as Director of the Office of Ethics and Professional Standards, a position within the Division created at the time of her appointment. In that role, she served as the Division’s counsel in all matters and questions related to ethical conduct and professional standards and served as the Division’s primary contact with the Police Officer Standards and Training Council and other law enforcement agencies. Deputy Chief State’s Attorney D’Angelo also is a certified law enforcement instructor with the State of Connecticut Police Officer Standards and Training Council and an adjunct professor at Middlesex Community College. Her appointment to a four-year term took effect on July 1, 2025.