On Friday we told you about the distribution of signed letters by Commissioner Richard Rosado informing multiple veteran Assistant Superintendents of Police that they will not be recommended for promotion to Superintendent. The letters, dated July 8, 2026, congratulate officers on technically passing their interviews before the Promotional Board; however, they also inform other officers that they were rejected and unable to be promoted due to limited availability of vacancies.
The letters explicitly warn affected veterans that these recommendations will result in their "supersession"-meaning junior officers will be promoted over them.
The controversy, however, is that the letter also details a formal recommendation that ASP Stacy Smith be promoted to the rank of Superintendent. When we asked her about this today, she explained the promotional process.
ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer
"Whenever anyone reaches the rank of inspector, the process for promotion no longer entails a promotional exam, i.e., a written exam. Below that rank, you would do a written exam and based upon completing the exam or how you perform in the exam, you would move to the interview process, and based on the performance of the interview process as well as other factors, a decision will be made. When it comes to persons of the rank of inspector and above, the process entails an application by the interested officer to go before the promotional board. A promotional board is convened-I think it is a five-member panel consisting of senior officers as well as representatives from the Security Services and the Ministry-where the individual officers are placed in front of the panel of 5 persons and each of them gets an opportunity to ask that officer questions relevant to the post to which they wish to occupy. After that is done, the grades are submitted to the Commissioner's office and based on that, he reviews that as well as the performance appraisal and the needs of the department in terms of the administrative needs, and a recommendation is forwarded to the Security Services Commission for the promotion of officers."
