Personnel Changes Afoot at the Redding Police Department

Due to the town’s acceptance of two more police officers in the wake of the tragedy in Sandy Hook, the Redding Police Department is undergoing changes in its personnel structure.

Lt. Mark O’Donnell said Monday that Redding’s newest sergeant is Tim Succi, who was promoted because of the budget and the fact that two of Redding’s finest—Sergeant Anthony Signore and Officer Christopher Vadas—will be serving as the town’s two Student Resource Officers at John Read Middle School and Redding Elementary School, respectively.

The officers, O’Donnell said, have been at the schools on security details since the December tragedy, but as of Monday, were officially on that detail as SROs.

The department also recently welcomed Officer Christina Dias, who has a month left riding around with other officers before she goes out on patrol on her own.

“We call her a ‘white cloud,’” O’Donnell joked, saying that since Dias has come aboard, things have been rather quiet in town.

There’s also another officer in the police academy right now, as well as another two waiting in the wings.

Last month, 150 officers took a test to apply for two opening spots, which the town approved at a meeting last month to replace the two SROs.

“I haven’t seen it like that in a long time,” O’Donnell said of the number of people turning out for the job.

That 150 has been whittled down to four, who will now be interviewed in order to see which two get the nod.