— Katherine Doty/Tribune-Courier
Benton officer Stephen Sanderson (above) has been promoted to sergeant.
Tribune-Courier News Editor
jnorwood@tribunecourier.com
BENTON– The Benton Police Department has promoted Steven Sanderson to sergeant. The move fills a vacant role for the department.
“We went through the promotial process for a sergeant’s position,” said Chief Tracy Watwood. “We’ve been without a sergeant for about seven months. [Captain] Jereomy [Hicks] and I absorbed the sergeant’s duties. It was just time.”
But other retirements in the office meant even more shared responsibilities.
Trying to keep the process fair, and due to the staff’s size, Watwood issued a written test for interested candidates, which was graded in front of the candidates. The candidates were then interviewed by a board comprised of councilman Butch Holland and officers from Hopkinsville, Ballard County and Dawson Springs.
Sanderson earned the highest marks.
“He’s already taken on so many of the projects I’ve started, but due to scheduling, I can’t do,” Watwood said. “He’s stepped up and accepted so many projects for the police department. He’s a huge asset for us. I look forward to watching him develop his career.”
