Today: Mar 29, 2024

Two officers are promoted

Matthew PolekContributor

The Southern Police Department promoted two of its officers to the rank of sergeant. Sgt. Kim Clare and Sgt. Carlos Maldonado were sworn into their new positions by the Executive Vice President of Finance & Administration Mark Rozewski.

The ceremony was held in Moore Field House in front of friends, family, and SCSU PD staff. Chief Joseph Dooley started the morning with a few words about the two new sergeants’ backgrounds and what this means for the department.

“This is a critical day for the department,” Dooley said. “There’s about 50 years of law enforcement experience between these two and we’re all excited.”

Rozewski told the crowd that it was a great honor to swear them in and he is proud of what the department is accomplishing.

“This is a great department we have here at Southern,” Rozewski said. “I say that not only on behalf of myself, but on behalf of President Joe Bertolino, and the entire university.”

Maldonado has been with Southern Police for two years, but has spent 22 years with the New Haven Police Department in multiple roles. He spent 12 years on patrol and then moved up to detective before becoming a Sergeant in Internal Affairs from 2014-2018.

“As a supervisor with the New Haven PD, I expected officers to conduct themselves with respect and professionalism,” said Maldonado. “That expectation continues at SCSU.”

Clare has been at Southern since 2004 but like Maldonado, she also has a history with the NHPD. She spent six years as an administrative assistant in the chief’s office before entering the police academy in 1991. She additionally spent time as a school resource officer at Hillhouse High School in New Haven.

“There was an adjustment period,” Clare said speaking to transitioning to Southern PD. “Here it was mostly about being able to not only interact with the students but try and help them find whatever resource they needed to succeed.”

Being here for 16 years now, Clare said becoming a sergeant wasn’t always a goal, but it felt right.

“I went through the process a couple years ago, but I wasn’t disappointed in not getting it then,” said Clare. “I was happy to be considered for it that time. In almost 30 years I think it was something I thought I was ready to do now. It wasn’t something I always wanted to do, but I think I felt like I was ready to do it now.”

Maldonado said the biggest difference between being a Sergeant in the NHPD and Southern PD is just the types of calls that are handled, and notifications made.

“Title IX and the Clery Act are must knows,” he said. “The volume of calls is less, but safety is still the primary concern. Crime prevention, such as building checks, is more of the norm, but when an incident occurs the methods for investigating are the same.”

With a new title comes new duties and responsibilities, and both Clare and Maldonado are well aware of this.

“There are no challenges I foresee at the moment, only opportunities for new experiences,” said Maldonado. “Working the midnight shift may be a challenge though.”

“I’m looking forward to working together with the officers and making sure we’re doing the best that we can to keep the community and university safe,” added Clare. “In the toughest of times, I’m still proud to be a police officer, and it’s an honor to serve the Southern community.”

Photo credit: Matthew Polek

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