Police PR Officer Stacy Smith Recommended for Promotion to Superintendent

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, the public relations face of the Belize Police Department, is being recommended for promotion to Superintendent of Police.  A copy of a letter sent to Love News shows that the recommendation has been forwarded to the Security Services Commission for approval. The letter says Smith is already carrying out the duties of a Senior Superintendent, which is above her current rank. It also says she met the required standard before the Promotional Board and performed better overall during the assessment.  According to the document, several Assistant Superintendents sat before the board seeking promotion, but not everyone who passed will move up in rank.  In the letter, reviewed by our newsroom, an officer who scored sixty-nine percent was told that, despite passing the assessment, the department could not recommend that officer for promotion because there were limited vacancies. Priority is being given to officers who are already serving in positions designated for the higher rank under the department’s approved structure.  The letter, signed by Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado, stresses that the decision was not based on any shortcoming by the unsuccessful officer. It says the recommendations were guided by the department’s staffing needs, the candidates’ overall performance and the limited number of promotions available.  Smith’s promotion will become official only if it receives the approval of the Security Services Commission.