WATERVILLE — Police Officer Jennifer Weaver will become Sgt. Jennifer Weaver on Monday — the first female officer to attain that rank in the city.

Weaver, 31, was promoted to sergeant by police Chief Joseph Massey and will supervise the communications department. The change was among several in the department recently.

“She is very smart, very intelligent, has common sense and has passion and enthusiasm for the job,” Massey said. “She’s a team player who has done very, very well.”

Hired as a night patrol officer in 2005, Weaver quickly established herself as a competent, capable officer, Massey said.

“We sent her to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy and she ended up receiving the Academic Proficiency Award for attaining the highest academic score in her class,” he said.

He said she also placed second in the class in all categories of performance.

Weaver, who eventually was moved to the day patrol shift, is a nationally certified RAD (rape aggression defense) instructor who teaches self-defense to female adults and children.

As an officer, she was assigned to the Police Department’s bicycle patrol and is cross-trained as a communications dispatcher.

Her promotion is one of several changes in the department since former police Sgt. Joseph Shepherd retired in May, according to Massey.

Lincoln Ryder, formerly a detective, was promoted to sergeant June 25; and Sgt. Daniel Goss, the department’s then-communications supervisor, was approved for Shepherd’s day shift supervisory slot, Massey said.

Ryder was promoted to communications supervisor and Officer Duane Cloutier was promoted to detective, Massey said. Cloutier previously was assigned as an agent to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency. He was still a Waterville officer, but while on special assignment to the agency, his salary was reimbursed through the city, Massey said.

Sgt. Dan Ames was transferred to the drug agency position, effective Monday.

Ames’ reassignment left a sergeant’s position open, and Weaver is filling that.

Another person will be promoted to sergeant in late August, according to Massey.

Sgt. Alan Main plans to retire this fall after 25 years of service, but the department will hire him back as a patrol officer, Massey said. Main then will become school resource officer, a position he held before being promoted to sergeant, he said. The current resource officer, Todd Burbank, will be reassigned to patrol, Massey said.

Main’s return to the school resource officer job will open up another sergeant’s position.

Massey said whenever the department has an opening requiring a promotion, a process is followed in accordance with the union contract. Candidates are considered based on results of a written test and essay, interviews, and job performance; then Massey selects a person from three top candidates, he said.

“In the 26 years that I’ve been here, I have never seen so many promotions in such a short period of time,” he said.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com