Police Department names new captains

Longboat Key Police Chief Pete Cumming appointed four of his officers to sergeant positions this week as part of a new reorganization structure the chief implemented last month.

Officers Chris Skinner, Robert Bourque, John Thomas, and Douglas Coffman received the highest accumulative scores and have been promoted to patrol sergeants, effective immediately.

In an email to the Longboat Key Town Commission Thursday, April 4, Town Manager Dave Bullock explained Cumming has reduced the number of captain positions from five to two and eliminated the master patrol officer positions.

“Overall this new organization approach places more officers on the street, is budget neutral and allows more opportunity for career advancement,” Bullock wrote.

Nine patrol officers participated in the promotional process and competed for the positions. The testing consisted of an oral board with 4 high-ranking guest panelists from surrounding law enforcement agencies and two internal police department members.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].