Date: Fri 27-Mar-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

police-commission-promotions

Full Text:

Police Commission Promotes Three Officers

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

The Police Commission has promoted three police officers, naming one man

captain and two others as sergeants.

Police Commission members March 19 named Owen Carney as the department's

captain. Mr Carney replaces former Capt Michael Fekete. Mr Carney, who was a

lieutenant, had been serving in the role of acting captain since Mr Fekete's

departure last June.

Also, Police Commission members named James Mooney to the rank of sergeant. Mr

Mooney has been serving as an acting sergeant in recent months, following Sgt

Henry Stormer's transfer from the patrol division to the detective bureau as a

detective sergeant.

Also, the Police Commission promoted George Sinko to the rank of sergeant. Mr

Sinko has been attached to the detective bureau, serving as the department's

youth officer.

Messrs Carney, Mooney and Sinko will take their oaths of office at 10 am

Friday, March 27, at the police station.

Mr Carney has served as a police officer at the department for about 26 years.

Mr Carney headed the department's special investigations unit as a lieutenant

for nine years until last June. Before becoming a lieutenant, he had served as

a sergeant, detective, and patrol officer.

As captain, Mr Carney will work in the areas of budgeting, scheduling, and

hiring. His duties will involve long-term planning and department operations.

Mr Carney did graduate work in leadership training, organizational

communications, and profiling at the FBI National Academy.

He has a bachelor's degree in justice and law administration from Western

Connecticut State University in Danbury and an associate's degree in criminal

justice administration from Mattatuck Community-Technical College in

Waterbury.

Mr Carney is a member of Hiram Lodge No. 18 of Ancient Free and Accepted

Masons in Sandy Hook and a member of the ways and means committee of Newtown

Congregational Church. He has participated in various civic organizations.

Sergeants

The stage was set in December 1996 for filling sergeants' vacancies in the

police department.

The four patrol officers with the highest marks on a written test administered

then were, in descending order: Joe Rios, Michael Kehoe, Mr Mooney, and Mr

Sinko.

The Police Commission named Mr Rios a sergeant in December 1996. Mr Kehoe

became a sergeant last July.

With all officers who were eligible to become sergeants having attained that

rank, a new round of testing to form a pool of sergeant candidates will be

held.

A police sergeant must have a good knowledge of state law, police policy and

procedures, as well as have good communications skills, according to Police

Chief James Lysaght, Jr. A sergeant also needs technical expertise in the area

of investigations.

The written examination for sergeant focuses on: state criminal and motor

vehicle law; management practices; decision-making abilities; ethics, rules

and regulations, among other subject areas.