Westport Police Department Promotes 3 Members

WESTPORT, CT — During a ceremony last week at police headquarters, the Westport Police Department promoted former Officer Sean Doyle to Detective; former Det. James Baker III to Sergeant; and former Sgt. Howard E. Simpson III to Lieutenant.

"These appointments are a direct result of the recently announced promotions at the department’s highest command levels and will serve to return our supervisory personnel and investigative services bureau to their appropriate staffing numbers," said Police Chief David Farrell in a statement. "More importantly, for the candidates themselves, the achievement of these new ranks marks the successful culmination of several months of study and preparation for both written and oral examinations."

Here are the three promoted members and their department bios:

Detective Sean Doyle
Detective Sean Doyle attended and graduated from Sacred Heart University of Fairfield in 2016, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. He then began his law enforcement career in the year 2018, initially working for the city of Hartford Police Department for approximately three years before transferring to the Westport Police Department in October of 2021.

During his time with Westport, Detective Doyle has primarily been assigned to the patrol division. He has also been a full-time member of the department’s Marine Unit for the last two summers, broadening his experience within the agency. This year he was formally recognized by the Westport Rotary Club, receiving an award for his involvement in an open water rescue of twenty-nine individuals in March of 2024. He was also previously the recipient of two departmental awards, Unit Citations, in both cases associated with the recovery of stolen vehicles and the arrest of the suspects involved in the thefts.

Detective Doyle currently serves two specialized units as a member of both the Westport Police and Westport Fire Department’s Joint Dive Rescue Team as well as the Accident Investigation/Crash Reconstruction Team. As a member of these units, he has participated in several dive operations here in Westport and in a mutual aid capacity as well as has been a part of multiple serious motor vehicle accident investigations. He is also a certified Police Officer Standards and Training Council instructor in de-escalation, defensive tactics, and handcuffing as well as in the use of oleoresin capsicum spray, the police baton and the Taser.

The experience gained in serving two law enforcement agencies as well as multiple specialized units will serve him well as he transitions to his new assignment within the department’s investigative services bureau.

Sergeant James Baker III
Sergeant James Baker III began his law enforcement career in the year 2009 with the neighboring Fairfield Police Department. During his time with Fairfield, Sergeant Baker served on three specialized units: the Emergency Response Team, Honor Guard and Crisis Intervention Team. Sergeant Baker was also a recipient of the department’s Medal of Honorable Service.

Sergeant Baker transferred to the Westport Police Department in May of 2013, and in doing so continued a family tradition of service to the town. Sergeant Baker is a third generation Westport Police Officer with his grandfather, Joseph McAleenan, being a retired Westport Police Lieutenant as well as the first Chief of the Weston Police Department and his father, James Baker Jr., being a retired Westport Police Detective.

Sergeant Baker has also contributed to two specialized units with the department; the Honor Guard and Westport Police and Westport Fire Department’s Dive Rescue Team. He has also previously served as a K-9 handler.

Sergeant Baker was promoted to the rank of Detective in February of 2018. During his time in the Detective Bureau, Sergeant Baker was a general investigator with a specialization in digital forensics, cybercrime, and cryptocurrency tracing. He was assigned to the Connecticut Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Connecticut Financial Crime Task force. Sergeant Baker most recently has been assigned as a Task Force Officer with Homeland Security Investigations, where he has assisted multiple agencies across the state investigated internet crimes against children, cybercrime, and financial crimes.

Throughout the course of his career in Westport, Sergeant Baker has been recognized for his outstanding work as the recipient of numerous departmental awards, including a Meritorious Police Duty award, an Honorable Police Service Award, seven Investigator Ribbons, and three Unit Citation Awards.

Lieutenant Howard E. Simpson III
A graduate of Charter Oak State College, Lieutenant Howard E. Simpson III attained a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies. He began his career with the Westport Police Department in October of 2003 as a Patrol Officer, bringing with him a decade of prior law enforcement experience after serving with both the Milford Police Department and the Connecticut State Police.

Throughout his tenure, Lieutenant Simpson has consistently demonstrated dedication and leadership. He was promoted to the rank of Corporal in 2014 and promoted again to the rank of Sergeant in 2022. He currently holds certifications as an Emergency Medical Technician and Intoxilyzer Instructor, and has also served as a Taser Instructor, Field Training Officer, and Telecommunicator.

Lieutenant Simpson has previously contributed to numerous specialized units within the agency, including the Accident Investigation/Crash Reconstruction Team and the Marine Division. He has also been an active member of the Westport Police Union Executive Board for sixteen years, serving seven of those years as the Union President.

His outstanding work has been recognized through multiple honors received throughout his career, including the Honorable Police Service Ribbon, five Unit Citations, and as a recipient of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) award for his enforcement efforts against impaired driving. He was also recognized with a service ribbon for his contributions to the town of Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, in response to the Sandy Hook incident.

Lieutenant Simpson is supported by his wife Joanne and their twin daughters, Emma and Ella.