Eckersley Demoted From State Police Top Command in May.

In a one-sentence May 21t letter, Commissioner James Rovella of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection demoted Lieutenant Colonel John S. Eckersley from his position in the top command of the Connecticut State Police. Eckersley returned to his previous rank as a captain.

The shakeup in the highest ranks of the force was unaccompanied by a public announcement. Eckersley and two others were promoted in a 2019 ceremony that was announced to the public. Eckersley’s devotion to duty was highlighted in a Courant story last August when the he came to the aid of a distressed woman running on I-95 in Old Lyme.

Eckersley was included in a 2020 union vote of no confidence in the leadership of Rovella and Governor Ned Lamont. Eckersley is known for enforcing codes of appearance and conduct that sometimes slip among the troops.