Commission Names Rios As Acting Police Captain

By Andrew Gorosko

The Police Commission has assigned Sergeant Joe Rios to the position of acting captain, making the 10-year police veteran the second-in-command of the police department.

Sgt Rios, 36, started as acting captain May 9.

Following a 90-minute executive session May 2, at which Police Commission members discussed the qualifications of candidates for the acting captain’s post, commission members selected Sgt Rios in a 4-to-0 vote, said commission Chairman James Reilly. Voting in favor of Sgt Rios were Mr Reilly, Carol Mattegat, Charles Pilchard, and Richard Simon. Member Robert Connor, Jr, did not attend.

Under consideration for the acting captain’s position were Lieutenant David Lydem and sergeants Rios, Henry Stormer, James Mooney, George Sinko, John Cole, and Christopher Vanghele, Mr Reilly said.

“We considered all the eligible people,” Mr Reilly said. Mr Reilly said there were some people among those eligible who indicated they were not interested in serving as acting captain, but he declined to identify those people.

Commission members discussed the qualifications of the candidates that they considered in closed session, but voted on their choice for acting captain in open session, Mr Reilly said.

In naming a person as acting captain, commission members are seeking to relieve some of the workload on Acting Chief Michael Kehoe, Mr Reilly said.

“This relieves a lot of the burden on Mike [Kehoe], so he’s not doing double duty as he has in the past,” Mr Reilly said.

Mr Reilly said commission members did not name a person to serve as an acting sergeant while Sgt Rios is acting captain. Commission members will consider whether an acting sergeant will be needed, Mr Reilly said. The police department has operated with five sergeants instead of six sergeants in the past, he noted.

Mr Kehoe, who holds the rank of captain, has run the police department since last July, when commission members placed former police chief James E. Lysaght, Jr, on administrative leave. Since July, Mr Kehoe had functioned as both the police department’s chief and captain. He was named acting chief April 4.

Police Commission members fired Mr Lysaght in March after deciding he did not display the leadership, planning, and management skills needed for the effective and efficient operation of the police department. Mr Lysaght started work as chief in July 1996.

The town’s attorneys have kept commission members aware of the status of Mr Lysaght’s recent court appeal of his firing, Mr Reilly said. Through his lawsuit, the 50-year-old Sandy Hook resident is seeking to regain the police chief post, claiming that the Police Commission did not have just cause to fire him.

Town attorney David Zabel met with Police Commission members in the executive session May 2 at which pending legal matters and personnel matters were discussed. Also present was Acting Chief Kehoe.

 Mr Reilly said he expects it will be “several months” before the implications of the Lysaght lawsuit become clear. Mr Reilly said he hopes the outcome of the lawsuit is clear before the end of this year.

Police Commission members have not yet started work on selecting a new permanent police chief, Mr Reilly said. “It’s unfair to put someone in the chief’s job, with that cloud hanging over the position,” Mr Reilly said of the uncertainty that stems from the Lysaght lawsuit.

Acting Captain

Of the officers considered for the acting captain’s post, Mr Reilly said, “We had several good candidates with good qualifications. It was a difficult decision, something we wrestled with.”

“We hope those… who were not selected realize it was a difficult decision,” he said.  

The Police Commission’s selection of Mr Rios as acting captain is based on his past performance as a sergeant and the abilities he has displayed, Mr Reilly said.

“He has always been one of the sergeants to do the little bit extra that’s required sometimes,” he said.

Mr Reilly added there were other good candidates for the assignment, but the commission could only choose one person for the post.

“They [Police Commission] obviously showed a lot a of faith and confidence in Joe Rios. The commission has a lot of faith that he’ll do a good job, and I do too,” Acting Chief Kehoe said.

It is good to have both an acting police chief and an acting police captain for the sake of the police department’s continuity, Mr Kehoe said.

“We’re trying to do the best we can with the situation as it is, “ Mr Kehoe said. Police officers realize that having two acting positions heading the department is not a normal situation, he said.

Of his assignment as acting captain, Mr Rios said, “I’m excited.”

“I’ll be the head of the operations bureau. It will be different responsibilities for me,” he said.

“I think I’ve worked hard to get where I’m at,” he said.

The acting captain’s post presents new challenges, he said. “I’m going to do the best I can to meet or exceed expectations,” he said. “It’s important to project a high level of professionalism,” he added.

In his assignment Mr Rios will oversee the department’s field services unit and the detective bureau, as well as assist the acting chief.

Before he started with the town’s police department in April 1990, Sgt Rios worked as a police officer at Fairfield Hills Hospital. He had been a special deputy sheriff for the Danbury sheriff’s department.

A 1985 graduate of Norwich University in Northfield, Vt., Sgt Rios has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Sgt Rios has worked as a patrol officer, an investigator for the Statewide Narcotics Task Force, and a school resource officer.

In December 1996, the Police Commission promoted Officer Rios to the rank of sergeant. It was then the first promotion in the police department in about nine years.

“I enjoy working with the other officers. As a supervisor, it’s a good feeling when you see people grow professionally,” Sgt Rios said of his work as a sergeant supervising patrolmen.