The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
New police sergeant position filled
Council chooses Patrolman Douglas Covert to occupy higher rank
Madison Village Police Department has filled a newly created full-time sergeant position.
Village Council, at its March 9 meeting, approved an ordinance promoting Patrolman Douglas Covert to sergeant.
A swearing-in ceremony also took place during the meeting for Covert, who has served with the village Police Department for 14 years. The ceremony wrapped up with Covert’s son, Carter, pinning his father’s new sergeant badge onto his uniform. When council met on Feb. 10, it passed a measure to create the new sergeant position, and repealed ordinances that had established positions of patrol operations sergeant and administrative sergeant. Both of those jobs had been vacant at the time they were abolished.
Mayor Sam Britton said a former police chief had filled the patrol operations and administrative sergeant positions and “it didn’t work real well.”
As the department’s new sergeant, Covert will carry out patrol, supervision, administrative, community relations and assorted other duties, according to a job description for the post he’s filled.
Current village Police Chief Troy McIntosh said Covert’s promotion didn’t change the department’s existing staffing levels. Madison Village’s police roster consists of five full-time officers — four patrol officers and the newly named sergeant — and sevenpart time officers.
However, an additional village police officer was planned and budgeted for 2020, McIntosh said. The chief noted that he’s started the process to fill that position — which will provide the department with its sixth full-time officer.