Alvin “Al” D. Schwapp, Jr., is a first generation American, born of Jamaican and Guatemalan descent. He is a native New Yorker and moved to Hartford as an infant. In 1979, Al moved to Bloomfield, CT.
Al is a 1984 graduate of Bloomfield High School where he joined the Connecticut Army National Guard (CTARNG) as a junior in high school. The summer before his senior year of high school he attended Basic Training at Fort Sill, OK. After completing high school, Al attended Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, OK, returning in time to start his college career.
Al graduated Officer Candidate School and earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1988. After being branched Infantry, he completed the U.S. Army Infantry Officer Basic Course and the U.S. Army Ranger Course in 1989 at Fort Moore, GA, formerly known as Fort Benning. In addition to the branch of Infantry, Al holds the branches of Civil Affairs and Logistics. Al transferred from the CTARNG to the U.S. Army Reserve in 2000. Throughout his military and civilian careers, Al has served in over 30 leadership assignments. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he served in Baqubah, Iraq as an Executive Officer in a Civil Affairs Company. Al was assigned to the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) where he held the rank of Colonel. Al retired from active duty in the summer of 2024 to make his family and the Town of Bloomfield his primary focus.
Al joined the Bloomfield Police Department (BPD) in 1994 as a patrol officer and was subsequently promoted to sergeant and later became the first African American lieutenant in the history of the BPD. He commanded all three divisions (Patrol, Support Services, and Professional Standards) before retiring in 2011.
Al grew up on East Harold Street and bought his first house with his wife Elby I. Gonzalez-Schwapp on Garrison Terrace in 1993. Al and Elby then moved to a house they built on Northcliff Drive in 2000. Al and Elby moved to Simsbury in 2008 with their three children Javed, Alexis, Maya, and his mother Winnifred.
After retiring from BPD, Al continued to have ties to Bloomfield. He is a past President of Bloomfield Access Television, a past Board member of the Bloomfield Early Learning Center and has served as a Guest Speaker for Bloomfield’s Memorial Day Parade on two occasions.
Since leaving law enforcement, Al has worked in education as a Director for the Capitol Region Education Council, an experience he describes as “…the most impactful and rewarding of all assignments, because I was able to help young people achieve their dreams and I still extend myself to offer mentoring and development to my former students... ”. Al also worked for the State of Connecticut as the Director of the state’s Intelligence Fusion Center, one of only 80 fusion centers recognized by the Department of Homeland Security across the U.S. States and its territories.
Al’s return to Bloomfield was motivated by his desire to give back to Bloomfield, for he recognizes the success he has achieved in his life was due to the solid foundation he had growing up and living in Bloomfield. “I chose to enter the application process to become the next Town Manager in Bloomfield because I truly believed I had the skillset needed to bring our Town together and move it forward after the challenges of recent years. I look forward to embracing the team concept to make Bloomfield an undeniable first option as a community to live, work, and thrive in”.
Al holds an Associate of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Hartford State Technical College; a Bachelor of Science, Industrial Technology, Central Connecticut State University; a Master of Science in Management, Johns Hopkins University; and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College. Al is a recipient of numerous military, law enforcement, state, municipal, and community awards/citations for integrity, leadership, and performance excellence. Al was inducted into the CTARNG’s Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in 2022. Al is a 2023 recipient of Simsbury’s Hometown Hero Award and plans to bring that program of acknowledging the excellence of citizens to Bloomfield.
Al is Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., a Life Member of the U.S. Army Ranger Association, and a founding member of CT’s Chapter of National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). Al is an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, NY Yankees, Notre Dame Football, and UCONN Women’s Basketball. In his spare time, Al enjoys family time, weightlifting, yard work, biking, volunteering, and grilling.