Westfield Police commissioners Felix Otero, Karl Hupfer and (unseen) Leonard Osowski listen as they interview acting Sgt. Jeffrey Baillargeon and Officer Michael T. Kane for positions as permanent sergeants in the department. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)Permanent
WESTFIELD – Two rather different police officers were promoted to sergeant’s rank Monday evening at a meeting of the city’s police commission.
The positions have been open since the summer of 2012 when temporary sergeants – officers Jeffrey Baillargeon and Joseph Maxton – were appointed on an emergency basis.
Permanent promotions could not be made then because there was no civil service list of qualified candidates and no promotion exam had been scheduled.
An exam was scheduled in October and, after it was administered and graded, a promotion list was generated which listed only two qualified candidates and included only one of the temporary sergeants, 18 year veteran officer Jeffrey A. Baillargeon.
The other name on the list was Officer Michael T. Kane, a relatively junior member of the patrol force, who claims three years of experience.
Capt. Michael McCabe said later that Kane was appointed to the reserve force in September, 2006 but worked only sporadically until he became a full time officer in February, 2010.
Baillargeon is a decorated U.S. Army Veteran who served as a battalion operations sergeant major with the 26th Infantry Division during his most recent (his sixth) overseas deployment.
In that role, he trained 700 troops before they shipped out and, once in theater, was the second ranking enlisted man in the battalion.
At the police department, Baillargeon leads the special response team which he had a hand in creating and is the firearms, tactical and taser instructor.
During the interview Baillargeon said that his strong points include his training experience – “I’ve been training people for nearly my whole life” – and his leadership skills.
Chief John Camerota lauded Baillargeon’s leadership experience saying “He probably has more leadership experience than most of the command staff, including myself”.
When questioned by the commission, Kane acknowledged his low position on the seniority totem pole but said that he would have no problems working with subordinates with a great deal more experience than he has nor have any qualms about asking for help or accepting advice from them.
Kane also differs from Baillargeon in his ambitions.
Baillargeon said that before he retires he’d like to have “a lieutenant or a captain’s position if we can get them (the incumbents) out of the way.”
In contrast, Kane said he does not aspire to be the chief of police some day.
“I love being on the street, I love begin with people, I love mixing it up, I love it” he said. “Being cooped up behind a desk is not my cup of tea.”
“I look at some of these (supervisory) guys, the headaches they have, the babysitting they have and being cooped up in there for 40-50 hours a week, it’s not my cup of tea” he said although he acknowledged that his outlook might change in 15-20 years.
Both candidates had the support of the department’s senior officers.
Camerota pointed out that other officers have taken on command duties with little or no experience and have done very well. He said to Kane “You probably are the quickest ever (to be) promoted to the rank of sergeant in the Westfield Police Department.”
McCabe pointed to Kane’s master’s degree and said “He brings to the table some past experience with the Department of Youth Services which is invaluable” and said that he has “an old soul.”
Both candidates were appointed by unanimous vote of the commission but Baillargeon was appointed first, making him the new senior sergeant.
SGT. MICHAEL T. KANE
SGT. JEFFREY A. BAILLARGEON
