Date: Fri 27-Dec-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

police-Rios-sergeant-promotion

Full Text:

Rios Named As New Police Sergeant

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

The Police Commission has promoted police patrol officer Jose "Joe" L. Rios to

the rank of sergeant.

Commission members elevated Rios to the post Monday, following an executive

session.

Rios joined the police department in April 1990. He had been a police officer

at Fairfield Hills Hospital and a special deputy sheriff for the Danbury

sheriff's department before joining the town's police department.

The Newtown resident has been an investigator for the Statewide Narcotics Task

Force. He is an FBI-trained marksman. Most recently, Rios served as the police

department's school resource officer, which is an policeman who handles law

enforcement matters in the upper school grades.

A 1985 graduate of Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, Rios has a

bachelors degree in criminal justice.

Rios fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Sgt Klaus Ertl earlier

this year. Sgt Ertl worked at the police department for 26 years.

Rios joins John Qubick, Martin Pytko and Henry Stormer as sergeants.

Rios, 33, said Thursday that he looks forward to the challenges he will face

as a police supervisor.

Becoming a sergeant after a decade in the law enforcement field is a natural

progression, Rios said.

As the school resource officer, Rios worked at Newtown High School and Newtown

Middle School, both in plainclothes and in uniform. He said he enjoyed working

in the educational environment.

As the resource officer, Rios taught the Drug Abuse Resistance Education

(DARE) course, was an instructor for various classes, and investigated

complaints.

"I was busy in the schools, which is good," he said.

As a sergeant, Rios will supervise patrol officers at the scenes of various

incidents and will work at the police station.

"I feel very honored to have been selected," he said, noting there was keen

competition for the sergeant's post. Preparing for the sergeant's written

examination involved a good deal of study, he said.

"It was a difficult, but fair test," he said.

The four patrol officers with the highest marks on the written test in

descending order were: Rios, youth officer Michael Kehoe, patrol officer James

Mooney, and patrol officer George Sinko.

More than 15 patrol officers took the written examination for police sergeant.

The town requires that applicants for a sergeancy have served as police

officers for at least five years.

Candidates for promotion who received a passing grade on a written test then

appeared before an oral examination board. The top three finishers were

referred to the Police Commission.

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 focuses on: state criminal and motor vehicle law;

management practices; decision-making abilities; ethics, rules and

regulations, among other subject areas.