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Middletown police outline retirements, promotions and recruitment plans
Summary
The chief told commissioners the department has three vacancies, several upcoming retirements, recent promotions, and plans to present at least one certified candidate for February interviews with hires expected to attend the May academy.
At the Jan. 15, 2027 meeting of the Middletown Police Commission, the police chief summarized near‑term staffing changes and recruitment plans.
The chief said the department currently has three police officer vacancies and 72 sworn personnel on the books against a 2026 budgeted figure of 75 sworn officers. He reported that, of those 72, two are on maternity leave, one is deployed with the National Guard, one is in field training and two are at the police academy, leaving nine officers temporarily unavailable for patrol.
"We are doing backgrounds on potential police officer candidates," the chief said, and added he may present at least one certified officer candidate to the commission for interview in February, with potential hires attending the police academy in March.
The chief announced recent promotions — Sergeant Rob Monaco and Lieutenant Richard Regino — and described role changes (Sergeant Gallagher filling the tactical sergeant role). He also announced retirements: Police Officer Kyle Reed will retire effective Jan. 23 after 20 years of service, and Police Officer James Schonleber is planning retirement effective Feb. 20 with a last day of Feb. 11; the department plans a walkout luncheon Feb. 11 for one retiree.
He said he has identified additional forthcoming retirements among supervisory staff in 2026 (Detective Ahmed Artola in May and Sergeant Jacqueline Welch at a date planned for late winter/early spring), and cautioned the commission that replacing senior roles will be a forthcoming challenge.
The chief outlined academy timing: a police academy will start in May and, with academy and field training, it typically takes about a year before a new recruit is fully ready for independent patrol.
Why it matters: vacancies and impending retirements affect patrol staffing levels and training needs; the commission will review candidate interviews and future hiring as part of budget and operational planning.
Next steps: the chief said he will bring a candidate forward for commission interview and that staffing will factor into the department's upcoming budget work.
