A Milford police sergeant who retired from the force earlier this month is blazing a new trail in Connecticut.

Retired Milford Police Sgt. Tony Vitti's is the first man in the state to run a crisis center for victims of sexual assault. Vitti has been sitting in the executive director's chair for less than two weeks, but helping victims has been at the center of his entire adult life.

After 22 years on the force, eight of them investigating sex crimes, the chance to run the Milford Rape Crisis Center was the perfect next step after Vitti's law enforcement career.

Vitti says his decision to do what no man has done in the center's 40-year history was validated by an email he received from a victim just before he started his new job. Vitti says the email thanked him for all his hard work and for helping a victim through a traumatic time in their life. He says knowing he can continue helping people is enough to keep him going for many more years.