Three veteran Westminster officers -- Capt. Roger Jonacus, Lt. Dean Brewer and Lt. Randy Barnes -- have earned promotions in rank for a collective 68 years of service, Chief Sam R. Leppo said yesterday.

Effective today, Jonacus, with 25 years' experience, gains the rank of major, and Brewer, with 23 years on the job, steps up to captain. Barnes, who has nearly 20 years' experience, will be promoted to captain next week, Leppo said.

The promotions come on the heels of the retirement of Maj. James Melvin Austin, a 30-year veteran. Austin worked his final day Friday, having never missed a shift for illness or injury.

Jonacus, who serves as Leppo's second-in-command, will continue handling daily administrative duties.

Brewer will continue commanding the agency's criminal investigative division, and Barnes will continue supervising road patrol officers, Leppo said.

Leppo said Sgt. Stewart Kozak, who assisted Austin, will take over the department's property room, where more than 1,000 items seized as evidence must be cataloged by computer and kept until needed for a trial.

Leppo has 40 officers under his command and expects to hire two more. The new positions were funded by federal grants, which were announced Jan. 22 by Democratic Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes.

Another federal grant announced by Democratic Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski on Aug. 31 will provide a full-time officer to assist Cpl. Michael Bible, who handles community policing.

Leppo said that officer will help with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in the city's two middle schools and become an instructor for the Reality Program, which gives young first-time offenders an opportunity to avoid juvenile charges by voluntarily enrolling.

The officer also will assist the city's Department of Recreation in after-school and summer programs, Leppo said.

Leppo said he had not yet received confirmation on the grants announced in January.

Pub Date: 3/02/99