Friday was a day of celebration at the North Bay Police Service (NBPS).
Three members of the force were promoted. Officer Scott McFarlane was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant, and Officers Fernando Cirullo and Jason Long to the rank of Sergeant.
“The three officers we promoted today are all exceptionally performing officers, within the service and the community,” Chief Scott Tod said. “We’re very proud of them being promoted and we do believe that they are the change for the future to make this force successful in the challenges and demands we will face.”
For Staff Sergeant McFarlane, the promotion from Sergeant will bring a lot more responsibility.
“I was a supervisor in our criminal investigation section, and now I am returning to uniform,” McFarlane explained. “I will be in charge of a 12-hour patrol shift and supervise the men and women who are out on patrol on a daily basis. It will be a big challenge but we have excellent people here and I look forward to learning.”
“This is a big day for the service,” he continued. “It’s definitely a big day for me and I look forward to taking on this new role. We all have a job to do and remain positive, the services will run great.”
“It’s a huge day,” Sergeant Long said, echoing his fellow officer’s sentiment. “This process from the beginning is long and tedious, but it is truly an honour.”
“I came back to the road just over a year ago as a senior member,” Long continued. “At the beginning of the year, I became more of a leader to our younger recruits as one of the older guys, a mentor or role model for some of the younger officers on the road. That will just transition now because I am a Sergeant. I will be on a platoon with 12 other officers and provide that guidance and leadership.”
Long recently received a commendation at an NBPS awards ceremony for his work in helping to take down an international child pornography ring.
“I have been very fortunate,” Long said. “I spent the last nine years in our criminal investigation section with very high profile cases. We investigated everything from robberies, assaults, sex assaults to homicides. The wide variety of experiences that are very valuable and I can share the expertise, which is invaluable.”
For Sergeant Cirullo, the day was special for more than one reason.
“It’s very special because it comes on the 20th anniversary of the death of my mother,” Cirullo said. “It was nice sitting with my dad today.”
“I just want to bring with the team that I am going to be patrolling with, leadership, support,” Cirullo continued. “As you know this week, mental health is a big issue so I want to ensure that our membership is taken care of and looked after to the best of my ability. It is a difficult position but I want to be there for our people as well as the community of course.”
For Chief Tod, McFarlane will become the de-facto Chief when the administrative staff goes home, along with when Tod and Deputy Chief Michael Daze are out of the building.
“The platoon chief will be making decisions on behalf of the Chief’s office,” Tod explained. “It’s a very important role in the service. To achieve Staff Sergeant in any police service is significant in somebody’s career.”
But for Tod, the day is one to celebrate the officers with the community.
“This is a unique thing that North Bay Police Service does,” Tod explained. “This lets the community know that we are promoting three people that we think will help change the community, and will help provide knowledge on who we have in our organization and we want to celebrate.”
