By Martin B. Cassidy
Staff Writer
January 5, 2007
The chain of command at the Greenwich Police Department will be
changed this month with the appointment of two deputy chiefs, one
of whom is expected to succeed Chief James Walters, officials
announced yesterday.
Walters will recommend deputy chief candidates for Board of
Selectmen approval at the body's regularly scheduled meeting on
Jan. 18. All qualified officers may apply for the deputy chief
position, but the most likely choices will be Capt. David Ridberg
and Capt. Michael Pacewicz, First Selectman Jim Lash said.
"One of our concerns at the police department is that we are
not in a position to fill slots as they come open from inside the
department," Lash said. "If you can provide a career
path, inside an organization, and opportunities, and training,
you are in good shape."
Lash said the move is meant to groom an internal candidate to
lead the 157-officer department after Walters retires, which is
expected sometime after October when his pension and retirement
benefits are maximized. Pat Chila, now the department's sole
deputy chief, has also indicated he will retire soon, Lash said.
"We don't want to find ourselves in a position where we have
no succession plan for the police department," Lash said.
At a special meeting yesterday, the Board of Selectmen voted
unanimously to change how the deputy chiefs are hired, allowing
Walters to bring forth deputy chief candidates to the Board of
Selectmen without using a competitive examination process relied
on in the past.
Some of the basic requirements for deputy chief candidates
include eight years of police experience, five of them as a
supervisor, and a bachelor's degree or its equivalent.
"The obvious choice, of course, would be the two police
captains," Lash said.
Pacewicz said he expected to apply for the position if he is
qualified, but Ridberg could not be reached for comment.
According to a statement issued by Walters yesterday, one deputy
chief will oversee the Uniformed Services Division, which
conducts patrol, and the other the Criminal Investigations
Division, in which detectives work.
In addition the department will have two captains instead of
three, and lieutenants, rather than captains, would oversee
day-to-day patrol in the three sectors of the town, according to
the statement.
"Commissioner James Lash and Chief James Walters believe
this reorganization will enhance operation, provide better
service to the community and empower all members of the police
department to excel in the performance of their duties,"
Walters' statement said.
In their vote, the Board of Selectmen also recategorized the
posts of deputy director of social services and deputy
commissioner of public works so they no longer must be filled
through the town's competitive hiring process. Since 2005 the
town has changed the way it has filled many managerial and
administrative positions to remove the posts from the testing
process, giving greater leeway in hiring, Town Human Resources
Director Maureen Kast said.
The new deputy chiefs will make about $105,000 a year, Kast said.
If Ridberg and Pacewicz are promoted to deputy chief, Lash said,
it is uncertain when the vacant captain slots will be filled
because of a temporary injunction and lawsuit brought by an
officer.
Lt. Gary Honulik has obtained the injunction temporarily blocking
the hiring of captains in connection with his 2004 lawsuit
alleging Walters illegally broke town hiring policy in 2003 when
he promoted Pacewicz to captain instead of Honulik.
Honulik outscored Pacewicz on the written examination, but
Walters promoted Pacewicz after conducting interviews with both
candidates.
A state Superior Court judge is expected to rule whether the
injunction should be permanent while Honulik's case is pending.
Kathryn Emmett, Honulik's Stamford lawyer, said there might be
further litigation if Pacewicz is promoted to a higher grade
before Honulik's case is settled.
"The lawsuit itself says that Pacewicz was illegally
appointed and should be removed from the position of
captain," Emmett said. " This is an extraordinary step
being taken given the status of our litigation."
Lash said that whether Honulik is promoted to captain as the
result of a legal settlement depends on the progress of
negotiations.
"That will happen if it happens," Lash said.
Copyright © 2007, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.