Police Chief Promotes Nine In City Hall Ceremony

Our colleague Steve Goode reported on nine promotions that Police Chief James Rovella carried out Friday in a ceremony at city hall. Rovella called the promotions — the first of his tenure — a “tone setter” and said they reflected a renewed focus on community policing.

Among the new deputy chiefs are two former lieutenants who first joined the Hartford police department in 1994: Emory Hightower, a city native and member of the Hartford Shooting Task Force who will oversee command of the North End, and Luis Rodriguez, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who has been assigned to the South End.

“The police department should be more reflective of the population they serve,” Rovella said. “I look at Hightower — he knows the North End like the back of his hand. Same thing for Luis, they’re natural and easy fits.”

Here is Friday’s story and the police department’s press statement on the promotions.