Three department members receive promotions at special ceremony

We are proud to recognize our three recently promoted department members. They were officially promoted at a ceremony Tuesday Oct. 17 at a ceremony at Keith Middle School.

Lt. Amos Melo was officially promoted to captain, Sgt. Robert Holmes Jr. to lieutenant and Officer Paul Fonseca to sergeant.

Capt. Melo began his career with the New Bedford Police Department in 1989 and worked as a patrolman at all three stations until 1993, when he was promoted to detective in the Narcotics Division. He worked in Narcotics from 1993 to 1998, when he was promoted to sergeant.

He was assigned to the Professional Standards Division from 1998 to 2000. In 2000, he was assigned to the Juvenile, Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Unit (now known as the family services unit) until 2006. He returned to uniform patrol until 2009, when he became supervisor of the School Resource Division.

He was promoted to lieutenant in 2014 and became a uniform patrol platoon commander until June 2016, when he was named public information officer and administrative assistant to Chief Joseph Cordeiro.

Robert H. Holmes Jr. began his career as a police cadet in 1988 and was appointed a police officer in 1989. He was named a detective in 1993 and served as a detective until 2007, when he was promoted to sergeant. He became a department court liaison in 2009.

Paul Fonseca was appointed a police officer in 2001. He began working in the community police division in 2008 and the narcotics unit in 2013.

Pictured from left: Mayor Jon Mitchell, Chief Joseph Cordeiro, Capt. Amos Melo, Lt. Robert Holmes Jr., Sgt. Paul Fonseca and Deputy Chief Paul Oliveira.