Council approves Deputy Commissioner Rushton retirement, confirms promotions in police command

The Warren City Council on Oct. 28 approved the retirement of Deputy Commissioner Charles Jeff Rushton and confirmed the appointments of Matthew Dillenbeck as Deputy Police Commissioner and Gregory Booten as Police Captain of Investigative Services.

Council discussed Rushton’s long service and the impact of losing senior command staff. Councilman Dwyer and others praised Rushton’s leadership and urged the administration to do more to retain senior officers. The retirement resolution and the related memorandum of understanding for benefits and terms were approved by roll call.

Council then approved notice of appointment and personnel actions: the appointment of Matthew Dillenbeck to Deputy Police Commissioner and the appointment of Gregory Booten to Police Captain — votes were recorded in favor and the related memoranda of understanding and an addendum were adopted.

Vote details: the retirement resolution passed on a roll call with a 6–1 vote (Councilwoman Moore opposed). Subsequent appointments and memoranda of understanding passed by roll call with unanimous affirmative votes.

What the council approved: formal retirement approval for Rushton (effective as filed), notice of appointment of Dillenbeck and Booten, and memoranda of understanding setting benefits and terms for the deputy commissioner position and addendum to the police commissioner agreement.

Context: Councilmembers expressed concern about recruitment and retention in the police department and acknowledged Rushton’s long tenure and on‑the‑job leadership during periods of transition. The council approved the personnel actions required for the department’s continuity.