Five UPPD officers get promotions

The University Police Department filled out its management team last month by promoting three people to the lofty rank of lieutenant and two more to sergeant, the next-highest rank. Pennsylvania's largest private police force, which has about 100 sworn officers, now has 10 sergeants and four lieutenants. In the Penn Police, lieutenant is the highest rank below Maureen Rush, the director of police operations. The promotions were mainly intended to fill the eight-month vacancies in some of the shift commander positions, Rush said. The changes mean that there is now one person in charge of each shift who reports directly to Rush, in addition to several sergeants who report to the lieutenants. "The overall mission of these positions is to round out the management team [and to provide] easier access" to police officials for students and community members, she said. The three new lieutenants are Tom Rambo, who was formerly in charge of Public Safety's Special Response Team, which was formed in 1996 amidst an extensive crime wave; Tom Messner, the department's training officer; and Michael Fink, who has been the accreditation officer for the past two years. The men have been with University Police for an average of 12 to 14 years each, Rush said. Rambo is now the shift commander on the midnight to 8 a.m. shift, while Messner will take over from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Another lieutenant, Gerald Leddy, remains on the third shift. Fink will remain in his current position until the department completes its efforts to gain national accreditation. "Each one of them has made a distinct mark on this department," Rush said of the three. She praised Rambo as one of the major reasons for the reduction in University City crime over the past two years, and said that Messner has changed the way the department trains its officers. Fink, she added, has done a "fabulous job" in his capacity. Promoted to sergeant were Gary Heller, who has worked his way up the chain of command from officer to detective and now sergeant, and Cheryl Graham, a police officer with Penn for two years. Additionally, Sgt. Len Harrison was named to replace Rambo as the head of the Special Response Team. All candidates for promotion took written tests administered by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and also had outside evaluators assess their knowledge, communications and management skills and general fitness for command positions, Rush said. The outside consultant made recommendations to Rush and Vice President for Public Safety Thomas Seamon, who interviewed the finalists and made the final decisions. Seamon swore in the officers at an August 24 ceremony.

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