Chief Sean Connolly brings decades of experience and a Stoic philosophy.
With a welcoming smile and calm temperament, Connolly describes himself as a “practicing Stoic.”
“What I mean is, I believe that what we focus on in life, we will get more of. If we focus on what is positive and working, we will get more of it. “
With a contagious love for Flagstaff, Connolly was born here and raised in Tucson. “My mom’s family moved to Flagstaff from Nebraska in the ‘50s. My dad had served in the Vietnam War and was attending Northern Arizona University on a GI bill. One day, he walked into the Dairy Queen on Milton and saw my mom, who was a young girl at the time. They fell in love. I’m a product of their love.”
The family moved Tucson when Connolly was young. He attended the University of Arizona (UofA) and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He later obtained his master’s degree at NAU.
“If you would have said that I would end up back here in this incredible city with this incredible police department, I don’t know if I would have won that bet,” he said.
Connolly is the first Flagstaff Police chief to be hired from outside the department. “Timing in life is everything. The chief here has always come from inside the organization. This does not go unnoticed every day for me and I’m super blessed. I just love the fact that I have the opportunity to be in such an amazing, intimate community.”
“We had five excellent candidates for this very important position, including two highly qualified internal candidates,” said Flagstaff City Manager Greg Clifton. “The review process included five separate panels, a community meet and greet and considerable deliberation both internally and externally. We are pleased with the outcome and we enthusiastically welcome Sean Connolly to Team Flagstaff. Sean brings a wealth of experience, excellent dedication, community impact and broad vision. We are very fortunate.”
A 30-year career with the Phoenix Police Department began with Connolly serving as an officer for the South Mountain Precinct. He rose through the ranks to become the city’s assistant police chief. “I worked with some amazing people.”
He says the loss of his mom early in his career taught him valuable life lessons. “I was able to spend time with her before she passed and she made some statements that galvanized who I am as a human and resulted in my purpose in life, which is to create success for those I love and lead. After her death, members of the [Phoenix] Police Department wrapped themselves around me with support. That taught me something valuable in the role of leadership about what a quality organization does to care for its employees.”
“We’re excited to have such a rich source of professional knowledge, experience and positive energy leading our organization,” said Flagstaff Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Lasiewicki. “Chief Connolly is a welcome addition to our team. I’m optimistic about the future of FPD and our community.”
Calling the Flagstaff Police Department “victim centric,” Connolly’s vision includes a focus on recruitment and retention, learning to be more efficient by using technology, and incorporating a data-driven. real-time operation center involving other agencies.
“Ensuring we increase the quality of life in our community is a priority,” he said. “I also believe in virtuous policing. The four virtues I want all of our officers to embrace are courage, wisdom, temperance and a sense of justice. In the brief time I’ve been here, this department has demonstrated amazingness. There’s incredible relationship and intellectual capital in this department and I look forward to molding it even further as we move along together.”
Fostering a work-life balance is another aim of Connolly’s. “It’s really easy for us in law enforcement to not unplug. I think one of the reasons I’ve been successful in life is that I’ve been very diligent about unplugging, and I encourage my department to do the same.”
With a great love of the outdoors, Connolly is an avid sportsman who loves to hunt and fish. He enjoys hiking and riding mountain bikes. “I love everything outdoors.”
Connolly has two grown sons. His oldest played football for UofA and currently is a Phoenix Police Officer. His youngest son recently graduated from NAU with a degree in forestry. Two golden doodles also light up his life. FBN
By V. Ronnie Tierney, FBN
Photo by V. Ronnie Tierney, Fresh Focuses Photography: Flagstaff Police Department Chief Sean Connolly, on Mars Hill, says he is happy to be back in Flagstaff where he was born.
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