HADLEY – Two veteran police officers have been promoted to sergeant in Hadley, bolstering the Police Department’s supervisory ranks.
Officers Douglas Costa and Kenneth Hartwright were sworn into office at the Select Board’s July 20 meeting, bringing the number of sergeants to three in the Hadley Police Department.
Costa is the department’s K9 officer and joined the Hadley Police Department in 2009 after beginning his law enforcement career in 2006. He previously served with police departments in Egremont and Southwick.
Hartwright began working in law enforcement in 1992 and was hired as a Hadley police officer in 2010. He is a former U.S. Army military police officer and worked as a police officer in the Northampton and Bernardston police departments.
Hadley Police Chief Michael Mason said the promotions provide a sergeant for all three daily shifts on the force, a move made possible after restructuring shifts in the department.
“We’ve never had that before so we’re really excited to have supervisors on every shift now,” Mason said.
Sgt. Mitchell Kuc is the third sergeant in the department, having been promoted to that position in April 2015. In addition to the three sergeants, the department has seven full-time, six part-time and five special police officers, as well as nine full-time and part-time dispatchers.
Mason said the department is planning to hire three new full-time officers in the coming year, though funding is not yet secured for all of those positions. “We are in the midst of a hiring process,” he said.
Staff Writer Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.