Spring Valley police chief looking to expand police department

SPRING VALLEY – Spring Valley’s new police chief is seeking approval from the City Council to add two officers to his department.

Adam Curran, who replaced retired Chief Kevin Sangston this fall, asked at a finance committee meeting for the City Council to approve the hiring of two new officers. One will replace an open position left by Sangston’s departure and Curran’s promotion; the other, he said, will replace a gap left by an officer currently deployed to Africa with the reserves and an officer who is anticipated to retire within the year.

Curran said that right now, the department staffing includes eight full-time officers, which allows two officers per shift, a minimum to meet staffing needs. Adding officers will eliminate some of the gaps in coverage should an officer be on vacation or off duty.

If two officers are added, the department will be responsible for paying $6,000 each for 14-week training, along with salary and benefits during that time. The next training is scheduled for April.

City Attorney Jim Andreoni recommended that the city review its reimbursement policy for officers, which stipulates that a newly hired officer must remain with the city for a specified period of time after being paid for training. Should a new hire leave before that period, they would be responsible for paying back the city a prorated amount for expenses incurred during training.

Curran also is seeking approval to promote officer Sarah Kinkin to the rank of sergeant. Curran told the board Kinkin is deserving of the promotion, going above and beyond in all her duties.

“I don’t want to promote just to promote,” Curran told aldermen. “I want to promote based on merit, and [Kinkin] is very deserving of this promotion.”

If approved, Kinkin would be the first female officer promoted to sergeant rank in the Spring Valley Police Department.

The City Council will vote on the matter during its next regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall.