By Kathleen Edgecomb
Publication: The Day
Published 01/03/2010 12:00 AM Updated 01/03/2010 03:21 AM
New London- The president of the city's police union has been selected to fill the deputy chief position, which has been vacant for five years.
Chief Margaret Ackley confirmed in an e-mail that Lt. Marshall "Chip" Segar has been offered and has accepted the position. Ackley said she is also offering promotions to seven other members of the department.
Segar, who could not be reached for comment Saturday, was elected president of the union in November for the seventh time. The deputy chief position is a nonunion slot, and in order to be promoted, Segar will have to resign from the union.
Segar has a bachelor's degree in government and public policy and, according to the Web site marshalllawusa.com, is a practicing attorney. He is an Army veteran, having served in Europe and in Operation Desert Storm, and has 20 years of experience in law enforcement.
He was admitted to the Connecticut Bar Association in February 2009.
The 93-member police department has not had a deputy chief since 2005, when the position was left vacant because of budget constraints. At the time, Deputy Chief William Gavitt, a 35-year veteran of the department, retired instead of taking a captain's slot, a move that would have forced the layoff of a younger officer.
In December, the City Council reinstated the position at the request of the chief.
Ackley, who was promoted to chief in June, argued that a deputy chief was needed to make the department run more efficiently. The deputy will take over duties that have been temporarily assigned to the department's captains.
The promotion also sets in motion a series of movements within the department, according to Ackley.
As many as seven others will be promoted to fill sergeant, lieutenant and captain vacancies. The promotions are expected to take place in the next 30 days.