Police Department To Fill Some Top Slots

By Andrew Gorosko

The police department will soon fill two key posts in the organization, promoting one man to the rank of lieutenant and assigning another man to the position of detective.

The test for lieutenant was scheduled to begin September 6. The written and oral testing will be done during a two-week period.

Four current sergeants are seeking the promotion. They are Detective Sergeant Henry Stormer, Sergeant James Mooney, Sergeant George Sinko, and Sergeant Chris Vanghele.

The police department created the lieutenant’s post to fill operational gaps in the organizational structure and to improve the department’s chain of command, said Police Chief Michael Kehoe.

The person who fills the job will become the department’s second lieutenant. David Lydem currently serves as a lieutenant.

The police department had had two lieutenants until 1997, but a departmental restructuring eliminated one of those positions. Until 1997, one lieutenant had supervised the patrol division and the other had directly supervised the detective bureau.

The person chosen for the lieutenant’s post must be detail-oriented and have a solid working knowledge of the entire police department, said Chief Kehoe. The person also must be an effective supervisor, he said.

Sergeants seeking the lieutenant’s job must have served with the department for at least seven years and must have served as a sergeant for at least two of those seven years.

The Police Commission will select the new lieutenant.

When a new lieutenant is chosen, it will create a sergeant’s vacancy, requiring that that vacancy be filled.

Detective

Three candidates for the position of detective had oral interviews for the job on September 5. Seeking the post are officers Thomas Fitzsimmons, Robert Koetsch, and Jason Frank.

The test for detective consists of an oral examination.

Officers are interviewed to learn their aptitude for this specialized form of police work, which involves the detailed, long-term investigation of crimes.

The police department is seeking a person who has a good knowledge of police work, is highly motivated, and will take the initiative to investigate and solve cases, said Chief Kehoe.

Officers seeking the detective’s post must have at least five years experience in the police department.

Captain Joe Rios told Police Commission members September 5 that the commission would receive the results of the oral examinations for the post of detective in October. The Police Commission will choose the person assigned to be a detective.

The detective vacancy opened up when the Police Commission promoted Darlene Froehlich from the post of detective to the rank of sergeant last spring.

 The detective bureau has a complement of seven officers, including a supervising detective sergeant, three detectives, two school resource officers, and a youth officer.

Chief Kehoe said he hopes that the lieutenant’s post and detective’s vacancy are filled by October.

Chief Kehoe said police plan to advertise later this month for candidates to fill a patrol officer’s vacancy in the police department. The department currently has 41 officers and is authorized to have up to 42. As of January 1, 2002, the department’s authorization increases to 43 officers.