Continuing the series of mid-level management promotions he announced last December, Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey today administered the oath to 35 newly promoted sergeants of the Metropolitan Police Department during a ceremony at the Walter G. Ross Auditorium of Providence Hospital, 1150 Varnum St., NE.

Ramsey announced that all of the 35 new sergeants are being assigned to the seven police districts , where they will help oversee community policing operations. Under the rebuilding plan the Chief announced last September, each police service area (PSA) is now headed by a lieutenant, with a team of sergeants providing day-to-day supervision of crime-fighting and problem-solving activities.

"As sergeants, you will be a member of the PSA management team. You will work with your lieutenant and your officers to seek out the concerns of the community, prioritize problems, and devise and carry out solutions that reduce crime and improve the quality of life in the neighborhood," Ramsey said. "In short, your job is to spark the types of community partnerships and collaborative problem solving that are so important to improving public safety for the people on your PSA."

In congratulating the new sergeants on their promotions, Ramsey reminded them never to forget their roots as police officers. "Always remember what it was like when you were a police officer. And always strive to make the job more rewarding and less frustrating for the officers you supervise," he said. "For at the most basic, fundamental level, we are all the same -- we are all police officers. We just have different roles and responsibilities in working toward the same goal: quality services for the people of the District of Columbia," the Chief added.

Friday's swearing-in ceremony marked the culmination of a three-week training program for the new sergeants. It was the latest in a series of promotions Ramsey announced to the department in December. In January, 10 captains and 44 lieutenants were promoted. Next month, another class of 35 new sergeants will begin training at the Department's Maurice T. Turner Jr. Institute of Police Science.

The following were promoted to sergeant: