Springfield Police Promote Three Lieutenants and Two Sergeants
Springfield, Mass. — On Tuesday April 2nd, Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood and Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno held a promotional pinning ceremony for the two newest Supervisors and three newly promoted Lieutenants. The ceremony was held inside Springfield City Hall’s Room 220.
It was a family affair as four of the five promoted officers were second, third or same generation law enforcement. Police Superintendent Clapprood is retiring April 9th after 45 years of service and has now made 76 promotions during her five-plus years leading the department.
Superintendent Clapprood stated, “We don’t see as many legacy officers as we used to, but I’m proud in my last promotional pinning ceremony to see police officer families continue to rise up the ranks of the Springfield Police Department. Your job is incredibly important as police officers are asked to wear many different hats depending on the call and our very young department needs your guidance to succeed. I wish you the best of luck and I’ll be the department’s biggest fan when I retire.”
Mayor Sarno stated, “Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood and I want to thank all of our brave and dedicated police officers and their families for the work they do day-in and day-out. Congratulations to those officers being promoted. These promotions are well earned and deserved. Superintendent Clapprood and I want to express our thanks and appreciation to all of our brave and dedicated men and women in blue for their continued service to our residents and business community. Again, congratulations to all of our newly promoted officers. God Speed!”
Lt. James Donovan has been a Springfield Police Officer for 27 years. His father, retired Springfield Police Captain Robert Donovan, passed away on March 24th at the age of 85. Lt. Donovan was born and raised in Springfield, graduating from Cathedral High School. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 2020 and obtained a Masters’ Degree from Ana Maria College.
The son of a retired Springfield District Fire Chief (Richard) and brother (Matthew) of a Springfield Police Officer, Lt. Richard Rief has served the city of Springfield for more than 27 years. Lt. Rief graduated from Cathedral High School and was born and raised in Springfield. The Marine Corps Veteran has an Associate’s Degree from Springfield Technical Community College. Prior to being promoted to Sergeant in 2020, Lt. Rief was assigned to the Detective Bureau.
Springfield Central High School graduate Lt. Anthony Cicero has served the city of Springfield for more than a decade, first as a Police Cadet and then as a Police Officer graduating the Academy in 2013. He graduated Western New England University with a degree in Criminal Justice and has received a Springfield Police Commendation for Outstanding Performance of Duty in 2019. Lt. Cicero is a same generation officer as his brother Christian is a Springfield Police Officer.
Sgt. Evan Donermeyer has been a Homicide Detective for the past several years in which he is responsible for solving numerous murders. The former Police Cadet graduated from Elms College with a degree in Criminal Justice. The Springfield native received a Springfield Police Commendation for Outstanding Performance of Duty in 2019. Sgt. Donermeyer also dedicates some of his free time to the non-profit Hockey For Heroes Foundation, which raises money for the families of officers injured or killed in the line of duty.
Sgt. Adam Madera has served the city of Springfield for more than six years. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Western New England University. The third-generation police officer is the son of retired Ludlow Police Chief Pablo Madera and the Grandson of now deceased Springfield Police Officer Robert Vetal. In addition to the Squad, Madera has served and trained with the Springfield Police Emergency Services Unit (ESU) and is a skilled amateur photographer.
