8 officers move up; 1 moves out to become a police chief

Capt. Jeff Patterson will leave Clearwater to be chief in an Ohio suburb.

By CHRIS TISCH

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 8, 2000

CLEARWATER -- Police Chief Sid Klein promoted eight officers Thursday and saw off a 17-year Clearwater police veteran who has accepted a police chief job in Ohio.

Capt. Jeff Patterson, who has worked in the Clearwater Police Department since 1983, is leaving to become police chief in Boardman, Ohio, a suburb of Youngstown. Patterson will oversee a department of 57 sworn officers and 25 non-sworn officers.

Klein also promoted eight officers at a ceremony Thursday morning. It is the largest number of promotions at one time in the department's history, the chief said. Klein promoted Lt. John Slack, a 22-year department veteran, to captain.

Slack will command the uniformed patrol division. The current captain of that division, Capt. Bob Jones, will oversee the criminal investigations division, the position Patterson is vacating. Sgt. Anthony Holloway was promoted to lieutenant. The 15-year veteran will become assistant commander of the services division. Sgt. Michael Waters, a 14-year department veteran, also was promoted to lieutenant and will command a patrol division.

Several officers also were promoted to sergeant positions.

Officer Larry Borland, who has worked for the department 18 years, will be a sergeant assigned to the chief's office and technical projects unit. Officer Charles Cronin, a 15-year department veteran, will become a sergeant in charge of a patrol team.

Officer Thomas Fisherkeller, a nine-year officer, will become sergeant and will be in charge of a patrol team. Officer Eric Gandy, also a nine-year veteran, will become a sergeant and also will oversee a patrol team.

Officer Daniel Slaughter, an eight-year veteran, also was promoted to sergeant and will oversee a patrol team.

Klein took several minutes during the Thursday morning ceremony to recognize Patterson, whom the chief described as a "natural born leader."

"He has contributed so much to this Police Department," Klein said.

Patterson thanked dozens of officers who attended the ceremony.

"The opportunity I have now would never have happened without the opportunities I've had here," he said.

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