Police Commission Prepares To Pick A Captain

By Andrew Gorosko

The Police Commission is poised to select a captain for the police department, the person who is second-in-command of the law enforcement organization.

The captain heads police operations and runs the department when the police chief is away.

Since May 2000, Sergeant Joe Rios has served as the department’s acting captain.

When the Police Commission appointed Captain Michael Kehoe to be the police chief on May 16, a captain’s vacancy was created. Mr Kehoe had served as the acting police chief until his May 16 appointment as chief.

Police officers who are seeking the regular captain’s post are: Sergeant Rios, Detective Sergeant Henry Stormer, Sergeant Chris Vanghele, and Detective Robert Tvardzik.

Det Tvardzik started as a police officer in April 1974. Det Sgt Stormer started as a police officer in January 1982. Sgt Vanghele joined the department in June 1993. Sgt Rios joined the police department in April 1990.

The five-member Police Commission is scheduled to conduct job interviews for the captain’s post in closed session on June 12, after which they would select a captain. Commission members had a closed session June 5, at which they were scheduled to review the four job candidates’ resumes.

On May 16, Police Commission members created a broad process through which many officers at the police department would be eligible to apply for the post of police captain. Commission member Robert Connor, Jr, had urged that the panel create a formal process for selecting a police captain, as is required under department rules, instead of automatically appointing Mr Rios to the post.

Commission members set some basic requirements for the captain’s job based on years of service, supervisory experience, and other factors.

The acting police chief and acting police captain posts were created following the departure of former police chief James E. Lysaght, Jr. Police Commission members put Mr Lysaght on administrative leave in July 1999, and then terminated him in March 2000, after deciding that he had shown unsatisfactory job performance. In April, a Danbury Superior Court judge upheld the Police Commission’s decision to fire Mr Lysaght, overruling Mr Lysaght’s administrative appeal, through which Mr Lysaght had sought to be reinstated as police chief.

Beyond selecting a captain, other personnel changes are in store at the police department in the coming months.

Acting Sergeant Darlene Froehlich is expected to become a regular sergeant after a regular captain is chosen.

Sometime after July 1, the Police Commission is expected to select a sergeant to become a lieutenant, under a departmental reorganization plan which was approved in the police department’s 2001-02 budget. A sergeant’s promotion to the rank of lieutenant would then create a sergeant’s vacancy, which would then need to be filled.

Also, a detective’s vacancy was created when the Police Commission recently promoted Ms Froehlich from detective to acting sergeant. The detective’s post is expected to be filled.

The Police Commission also plans to hire one new police officer, which would bring the unit up to its full complement of 43 officers. The police department recently hired four new officers.