6 officers promoted
SPARTA. Three officers and two dispatchers receive the Chief’s Commendation Awards.
Sparta /
| 10 Sep 2024 | 06:12
From left, Thomas Snyder was promoted to captain; Joe Antonello and Frank Schomp to lieutenant; and Scott Elig, Steve Guido and Tim Lynott to sergeant. (Photos by Dave Smith)
Chief Jeffrey McCarrick commends dispatchers Scot Sorensen and Dan Koteras for their handling of hundreds of calls after the earthquake in April.
Piper McCarrick, 9, daughter of Chief Jeffrey McCarrick, sings the National Anthem.
From left, Sgts. Rick Smith and Steve Guido and Officer Taylor May receive the Chief’s Commendation Award for their work on the Junior Police Academy.
Capt. Thomas Snyder takes the oath for his promotion as his daughter holds the Bible.
Police Chief Jeffrey McCarrick speaks to the six officers being promoted.
Piper McCarrick, 9, daughter of Chief Jeffrey McCarrick, sings the National Anthem as the officers salute.
Sparta police officers follow a bagpiper into the ceremony in the Sparta High School auditorium Aug. 30. (Photo by Kathy Shwiff)
The Sparta Police Department celebrated the promotions of six officers in a ceremony Friday, Aug. 30 at Sparta High School.
Promoted to captain was Thomas Snyder and to lieutenant were Joe Antonello and Frank Schomp. Promoted to sergeant were Scott Elig, Steve Guido and Tim Lynott.
Police Chief Jeffrey McCarrick noted that some of the officers being promoted had been laid off in 2011, when the department faced budget cuts.
Among them were Snyder, now second in command, and Elig. Both found other law enforcement jobs, then later rejoined the Sparta department.
Referring to Snyder, the chief said, “Every day, he motivates me to do the best work I can do. And we do this work together as a team.”
McCarrick recalled working with Antonello in the Detective Bureau, where they developed a friendly competition, trying to solve each other’s cases in addition to their own. That led to the joint investigative approach now used in the bureau.
Commendation Awards
McCarrick recognized Sgt. Rick Smith, Guido and Officer Taylor May with the Chief’s Commendation Award for their work on the Junior Police Academy.
Smith suggested the idea many years ago and started the program with the help of other officers. May later expanded the program and took it to the next level, McCarrick said.
Guido took charge of it this year “to again provide an amazing experience to the recruits,” the chief said.
”I would be remiss if I did not mention the efforts and dedication from all the officers who put so much effort into this program. As we know, it takes a team and we have the best of the best,” he added.
McCarrick also presented the Chief’s Commendation Award to dispatchers Scot Sorensen and Dan Koteras for their handling of more than 100 calls in 15 minutes after the 4.8-magnitude earthquake April 5, “speaking to everyone in a courteous and professional manner giving honest information,” he said.
He thanked all of the department’s dispatchers and honored Sorensen and Koteras “for their commitment to being the first line of defense and gathering valuable information in order to keep everyone safe.”
The Sparta department’s communications center handles calls from Franklin, Ogdensburg, Hamburg and Stanhope as well as Sparta for police, fire and EMS services.