5 promotions and 5 new police officers sworn in

MANCHESTER, NH — Thursday was promotion day for five Manchester police officers, and welcome to the force day for five newly-minted officers.

Following the swearing-in of Chief Carlo Capano earlier this month, Capt. Ryan Grant was selected to rise to Assistant Chief, and was among those officers who were promoted July 26 during a brief ceremony at the Manchester Police Athletic League.

Below are biographical snapshots of each officer. All photos by Jeffrey Hastings.

Assistant Chief Ryan Grant has been a law–enforcement professional for more than 24 years and has been a member of the Manchester Police Department for 21 years. He is a graduate of the 101st session of the NH Police Academy.

He earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Hesser College in 1992 and earned a bachelor ‘s degree in criminal justice from Granite State College in 2017.

Over the course of his career, he has also earned a number of specialized training certifications.

During his tenure with the department, Grant has served as a patrol officer, a field training officer, and as a major crimes investigator within the Detective Unit. Following his promotion to the rank of sergeant in 2009, he was assigned as a patrol supervisor, and in 2011, was reassigned to the Investigative Division. Upon his promotion to Lieutenant in January 2015, he remained assigned to the Investigative Division, and then became Division Commander following his promotion to Captain in June 2016.

Grant was awarded the MPD Chief’s Achievement Medal in 2007, in recognition of his contribution to the investigation of the murder of Officer Michael Briggs.

In 2008, he received a commendation for his work as a key member of an investigative team that worked on a challenging 13-month homicide investigation, which ultimately brought about the arrest of the perpetrator. With regard to this same case,  Grant also received the John “Sonny” Carbone Memorial Award from the New England Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association.

In 2014, he was commended for his investigative contribution to a burglary initiative implemented in the fall of 2013, which culminated in the arrest of numerous individuals and the recovery of thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen property.

Grant and his wife, Lori, have 3 children, Devin, Hunter, and Ava, and reside in Litchfield.

Capt. Allen Aldenberg has served as a law-enforcement professional for 24 years, serving with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department in Massachusetts and the Goffstown Police Department prior to joining the Manchester Police Department in 2003.

During his tenure with the Manchester Police Department, Capt. Aldenberg has served as a Patrol officer, Field Training Officer, K9 Officer, and as an investigator within the Detective Unit. Following his promotion to Sergeant in 2013, he was assigned as a Patrol Supervisor and later served as the director of the Training Unit. Since his promotion to Lieutenant in 2017 he has been assigned as the Adult Arraignment Officer within the Legal Division.

Aldenberg has been a member of the SWAT Team since 2011 and currently serves as the Assistant Commander. He was awarded the department’s Life Saving Medal in 2011 for his efforts in preventing a suicidal subject from jumping from the ledge of a parking garage. And in 2016, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for negotiating the surrender of an armed man.

Aldenberg has served with the Massachusetts Army National Guard for 26 years. He currently holds the rank of Colonel and is the Brigade Commander for the 79th Troop Command-Homeland Security. Since 9/11 he has been deployed to Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. For his service in Iraq, from 2009 – 2010, Aldenberg was awarded the Bronze Star medal.

He  holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in justice administration both of which were conferred by Norwich University, the Military College of Vermont. In July of 2017 he graduated from the United States Army War College with a Master’s of strategic studies degree.

He and his wife, Emily, have two children, Hunter and Kendal.

Lt. Shawn McCabe has served as a law-enforcement professional for 21 years, first serving as a part-time police officer with the Plaistow Police Department prior to becoming a full-time police officer with the Manchester Police Department in 1999.

He graduated from the NH Police Standards and Training Academy in 1999. He holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Granite State College, and is currently enrolled to complete his bachelor’s degree. Over the course of his career he has also attained certification in a number of specialized training programs.

McCabe served as a patrol officer until 2002. He was then selected to serve as a detective within the Special Investigations Unit. His assignments within the unit included serving on the NH Attorney General’s Drug Task Force. Following his promotion to Sergeant in 2013, he was assigned as a Patrol Street Supervisor.

In commendation of his undercover investigative work, McCabe received certificates of recognition for:

• Participation in a 2007 MPD and FBI collaborative initiative that concluded with a career criminal and significant supplier of cocaine and heroin in Manchester being arrested;
• Participation in a 2011 investigation into a series of shotgun armed robberies, concluding with the arrest of three violent subjects;
• Participation in a 2011 investigation which led to the arrest of a high-level cocaine and pill trafficker in Manchester.

In 2008, the New England Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association recognized McCabe’s work on two separate collaborative undercover investigations — one led to the arrest of a suspect for a 2007 Manchester homicide and the other led to the arrest of a large-scale heroin dealer operating in Manchester.

He was awarded the MPD Meritorious Service Medal in 2013 for his actions to ensure the safety of his fellow officers and members of the community in that he assisted with the apprehension of a violent and irrational subject who was fleeing a scene.

As a sergeant, he received two certificates of recognition commending his actions  during separate incidents in 2014: one for his coordination of police efforts following a shots-fired incident that involved several armed suspects, and the second for assisting at a large fight scene involving upwards of 40 subjects wielding baseball bats.

He was also awarded the Life Saving Medal recognizing his actions in 2015 in that he rendered medical aid to stop the profuse flow of blood from a neck wound of a shooting victim.

McCabe and his wife, Shannon, have 2 children: Morgan and Kendall.

Sgt. Fred Gillis has served with the Manchester Police Department since 2005.

He graduated from the NH Police Standards and Training Academy in July 2005. He studied toward a bachelor’s degree in sociology, with a minor in business administration at the University of New Hampshire. Over the course of his career he has also attained certification in a number of specialized training programs.

Gillis has served as a patrol officer and since 2010, as a Community Policing officer. He served as a member of the Mounted Unit from 2014 to 2016.  Gillis also served on the department’s SWAT Team for five years.

He has received the following awards:

• In 2007, he was presented a certificate of recognition for his investigative efforts which greatly assisted in identifying the subject responsible for the fatal shooting death of Manchester Officer Michael Briggs in October 2006.
• In 2008, Gillis received the Police Standards and Training Council’s Looking Beyond the Traffic Ticket award in the Excellent Police Tactics and Observation Skills category.
• In 2013, he earned a certificate of recognition for his contribution to the Community Policing group efforts that resulted in the Manchester Police Department receiving the New England Chiefs of Police Award for Community Policing.
• In 2013, he was awarded the Honorable Service Medal in recognition of his performance of duty in that he participated in an entry team to clear and secure a multi-level, multi-room building, which was the site of a reported active shooter.
• In 2014, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his assistance in apprehending an armed and dangerous robbery suspect.
• In 2014, he was awarded the Life Saving Medal for his actions in preventing a woman from committing suicide.
• In 2015, he earned a certificate of recognition for his efforts in assisting with the surveillance and apprehension of a suspect of numerous motor vehicle break-ins in the downtown area.

Gillis and his wife, Sydney, have a daughter, Amelia, and are expecting their second child.

Sgt. Matthew Jajuga has served with the Manchester Police Department since 2007. Prior to joining the MPD he was employed as a Campus Security Officer for Merrimack College in Andover, Mass.

He graduated from the NH Police Standards and Training Academy in June 2007. While at the Academy, he earned both the Academic Award and the Arthur D. Kehas Outstanding Achiever Award.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in criminal justice. Both degrees were conferred by the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Over the course of his career he has also attained certification in a number of specialized training programs.

During his tenure with MPD, Jajuga has served as a patrol officer and as Community Policing officer. Since, 2015, he has served as an investigator within the Special Enforcement Division.

Sgt. Jajuga has received the following awards:

• In 2013, he earned a certificate of recognition for his contribution to the Community Policing group efforts that resulted in the Manchester Police Department receiving the 2012 New England Chiefs of Police Award for Community Policing.
• In 2014, he was a recipient of the Rimmon Heights Neighborhood Champion Award recognizing his efforts as part of the team approach by MPD’s Community Policing Division.
• In 2015, he was presented a certificate of recognition in commendation of his efforts as background investigator in a non-stop year-and-a-half hiring process that resulted in the hiring of 39 police officers and six civilian support staff.
• In 2017, he was awarded the Honorable Service Medal for his efforts in a collaborative investigative initiative that led to apprehending the suspect of a three-week spree of armed robberies at West Side convenience stores.
• In 2017, he received a certificate of recognition from the New England Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association in acknowledgement of his contribution to narcotic law enforcement.

Five new officers were sworn in.

Officer Christopher B. Abele

Officer Abele, 27,  was born in Manchester, Conn., but spent most of his youth in Nashua. He is a graduate of Nashua High School South, class of 2009. He is currently studying at Southern N.H. University toward a degree in Information Technologies with a concentration in Cyber Security.

Abele served in the Army National Guard stationed in Melrose, Mass. from 2010 to 2013, where he served as a Health Care Specialist. He has most recently been employed as a security guard with Paragon Systems, located in Manchester. He currently resides in Antrim with his wife, Paige, and daughter, Ellie.

Officer Kyle J. Kosiorek

Officer Kosiorek, 22, was raised in Enfield and is a graduate of Masacoma Valley Regional High School, in Cannan, class of 2014. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, with a minor in anthropology/sociology, from Plymouth State University in May of 2018.

While attending school, Kosiorek was employed part-time with the Plymouth State University recreation  department. Since graduating, he has been working for MTD’s Property Maintenance. He currently resides in Enfield.

Officer Robert C. Matzelle

Officer Matzelle, 26, was born and raised in New York, and is a graduate of Farmingdale Senior High School, in Farmingdale, N.Y., class of 2010. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2014 from the State University of New York.

During his college years, Officer Matzelle was part of the ROTC program, and  served with the Army National Guard, based out of Morrisonville, NY. Upon graduating from college he transitioned into full-time active duty with the U.S. Army. In four years of service, Robert was twice deployed to the Middle East. During one of the deployments, he was involved in a lifesaving incident for which he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. He attained the rank of captain prior to his honorable discharge in June of this year. His father, Robert, is a 23-year veteran of the New York Police Department.

He and his wife Kathryn are expecting their first child.

Officer Terrence M. O’Neill

Officer O’Neill, 31,  was raised in Holyoke, Mass.. and is a graduate of Holyoke High School, class of 2004. He went on to attain a bachelor’s degree in sociology, with a minor in criminal justice from the University of Connecticut in 2008.

Since 2009, O’Neill has been employed as a police officer assigned to the Divisional Tactical Unit of the Houston, TX, police department. He and his wife, Kimberly, have one daughter, Olivia.

Daniel R. Richmond Jr.

Officer Richmond, 50,  is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, currently residing in West Newbury. He is a graduate of Salem, Mass., High School, class of 1986. He has two adult children.

Daniel served with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves stationed in South Weymouth, Mass., from 1986 to 1992.

Most recently, Officer Richmond has been employed as a part-time police officer in both towns of West Newbury, Mass., and Groveland, Mass. Along with patrol duties in Groveland, he also served as the animal control officer and a part-time dispatcher.

He has two adult children, daughter, Oriana, and son, Daniel.