FRONT, L-R: Fairhaven Police Chief Michael Myers, and recently promoted police officers, Captain Michael Botelho, Lieutenants David Sobral and Kevin Kobza; BACK, L-R: Selectboard member Charles K. Murphy, Selectboard chair Bob Espindola, Selectboarr member Daniel Freitas, Fairhaven Town Administrator Mark Rees; pose for pictures after the pinning ceremony on Monday, 3/26/18 for the recently promoted captain and lieutenants. Photo by Beth David.
By Beth David, Editor
The auditorium of the Fairhaven Tall hall was all smiles and accolades on Monday, 3/26, for the pinning ceremony for one new captain and two new lieutenants in the Fairhaven Police Department.
The re-organization of the department, which has been in the works for a couple of years, creates more steps in the chain of command. Before the reorganization there was the chief and eight sergeants. Now there is the chief, one captain, two lieutenants, and five sergeants. The extra layers of command between the chief and officers will free up the chief and the sergeants for other duties, as any issues that arise can go up the chain of command.
Most other police departments have this command structure, said Lt. Kevin Kobza, the department’s public information officer.
The new structure provides for greater accountability and supervision of the department to improve effectiveness, said Town Administrator Mark Rees.
“With the very horizontal command structure it was difficult to make sure people were properly supervised and kept to the high standards we expect of our police officers,” said Mr. Rees.
Fairhaven Police Chief Michael Myers told the crowd of friends and family gathered that a lot of work went into it to “get it done.”
Capt. Michael Botelho gets his new Captain’s badge pinned on him by his wife Jennifer at the pinning ceremony in the auditorium of Fairhaven Town Hall on Monday, 3/26/18. Photo by Beth David.
Then one by one, the three promoted officers had their new badges pinned on them by family members. All three were promoted from the rank of sergeant.
Capt. Michael Botelho has been with the Fairhaven PD for more than 23 years, and has served as a patrol officer, school resource officer (SRO), and detective. He has been involved in a wide range of duties and areas, including grant writing and managing the Animal Control Division and the Sex Offender Registry. He also implemented the on-duty training program.
Capt. Botelho holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Curry College.
“I feel very good,” said Capt. Botelho after the ceremony. “Proud, excited.”
He will be overseeing a lot more of the day-to-day operations of the department in his new role, and will work closely with the chief.
His wife Jennifer pinned his badge on him, with their son Harrison, just a few weeks old, nearby.
David Sobral and his wife Tammy stop for a quick picture with the local free sheet after Tammy pinned the new badge on her husband at the pinning ceremony in the auditorium of Fairhaven Town Hall on Monday, 3/26/18. Photo by Beth David.
Lt. Sobral has been a member of the Fairhaven PD for more than 35 years. He was promoted to sergeant in 1995. He is trained as an Advanced Accident Investigator, is in charge of the department’s ethics training, and juvenile law and procedure training. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from Western New England College
He is well known to anyone who uses Fairhaven roads, as he takes advantage of as many details as he can, a fact noted by the chief in his remarks on Monday. He is also responsible for maintaining the breathalyzer certifications for all officers.
“Everybody recognizes him because of his road work,” said Chief Myers. “He’s pretty much done it all.”
Lt. Sobral said it was always a goal to move up in the ranks, but things have been stagnant over the years.
“I”m looking forward to it,” said Lt. Sobral. “It’s a great department.”
He said department personnel are well-rounded individuals, and are the best in the whole area, “as far as I’m concerned.”
The department includes his son Matthew, who graduated from the police academy in 2015.
“I wouldn’t want to be a lieutenant anywhere else,” said Lt. Sobral.
He promised he would still be out on the road for details.
Carol Kobza pins the badge on her son, newly minted lieutenant Kevin Kobza at the pinning ceremony in the auditorium of Fairhaven Town Hall on Monday, 3/26/18. Photo by Beth David.
Lt. Kevin Kobza has been with the Fairhaven PD for more than 17 years. He served as a part-time SRO, a full-time community policing officer in North Fairhaven, firearms licensing officer, grant manager, court liaison officer and public information officer. He is also the accreditation manager for the department, and the new promotion will give him more time to work on getting the department accredited with the Mass. Police Accreditation Commission. Before joining the Fairhaven PD, Lt. Kobza was a Special Agent with the US Customs Service, Office of Investigations. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science from Northeastern University.
Lt. Kobza said he was working hard to get the department accredited, a process that requires reviewing all policies, procedures, and regulations, and making sure they are up to industry standards.
He also said the process to get he promotion was long and more stressful than he realized. It included interviews with the chief and human resources department, and going through the assessment center process, which includes a series of practical exercises and interviews.
“I’m extremely thrilled about the promotion and I am really looking forward to serving the department and the town in my new role as Fairhaven Police Lieutenant,” said Lt. Kobza.
Selectboard chairperson Bob Espindola said the three officers were being rewarded for their years of hard work. He said the promotions speak to the character of each person.
The promotions went into effect on March 12. The police chief made the appointments, which had to be approved the Town Administrator.
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