Senior Police Posts Shuffled After 4 Leave

2 Assistant Chiefs Among Retiring Commanders

Four senior police commanders with more than 100 years of combined experience have retired in the past month, creating vacancies at the top of the department that Chief Charles H. Ramsey has scrambled to fill through transfers and promotions.

The changes come at a critical time as Ramsey has credited his policing strategies and partnerships with city agencies with helping reduce District homicides and other crime. The city is on pace this year to have fewer than 200 homicides for the first time since 1986.

Ramsey said he was "sorry to lose" the commanders but felt confident about those he promoted to fill their slots.

"It was time to let some young and more energetic people to step into leadership positions to help move this department forward," the chief said.

Ramsey lost two top-ranking commanders: assistant chiefs Alfred J. Broadbent and Ronald Monroe, both 25-year veterans who had climbed the ranks.

Broadbent was in charge of special services, which includes most of the department's detectives and many of its specialized units. Monroe was a regional commander who oversaw the 2nd, 3rd and 4th districts.

Broadbent will become vice president of security at Amtrak. Monroe said he has not decided what he will do next.

Abraham Parks, a 31-year veteran, announced he was leaving his job as the 7th District commander to work with his son in a private business. Cmdr. Jeffrey Moore, a 30-year veteran in charge of the 2nd District, said he was retiring. He, too, said he hasn't decided what he will do in retirement.

While all the commanders said they were retiring so they could try something new, Parks said he was leaving also because he felt that Ramsey micromanaged the department and did not give commanders sufficient authority.

He pointed to what he called onerous, hours-long daily crime-trend meetings held at police headquarters. Often, commanders do not start working in their districts until after lunch, he said.

"It's difficult [when you don't] have hands-on quality time at your districts until after 1 p.m.," Parks said.

Ramsey "doesn't trust us and has made comments that he doesn't trust the captains and lieutenants to do the right things," Parks added.

Parks said morale among the rank-and-file and commanders was at its lowest since the late 1980s and early 1990s, a time of budget cuts and a high murder rate. Union officials also have cited low morale.

A half-dozen senior commanders, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they fear retaliation for criticizing police management, said they believe the department is top heavy.