The Barnstable Police Department is proud to announce the promotion of six officers. As the department grows and continues to operate as a professional police agency it is only natural with growth comes change. In recent years the Barnstable Police have added the Executive Service Division and the Street Crimes Unit. To memorialize these two additions we are going to be assigning full time Lieutenants to run them on a daily basis. In conjunction with the recent retirement of Lieutenant Joellen Jason, this has created the ability of the department to promote officers. We would like to congratulate the following officers on their promotions.

Lieutenant Michael Clark has been a member of the Barnstable Police Department since 1995 and is currently assigned to the Patrol Division. Lt. Clark has been a member of the Cape Cod Regional SWAT Team, the mountain bike unit, assigned to the Detective Division, as well as assigned to the Cape and Islands DEA Task Force. Lt. Clark is a lifetime resident of Barnstable and is very active in community events where he represents the Barnstable Police Department.

Lieutenant Matthew Sonnabend has been a member of the Barnstable Police Department since 1995 and is currently assigned to the Executive Services Division. Lt. Sonnabend has been a member of the Cape Cod Regional SWAT Team, the mountain bike unit, and is currently in charge of the department’s recruitment and professional standards office. Lt. Sonnabend is an active member in the community, volunteering at such events as Barnstable Kids Day.

Lieutenant John Murphy has been a member of the Barnstable Police Department since 1985 and is currently assigned to the Detective Division and is commander of the Street Crime Unit. Lt. Murphy has been assigned to the Detective Division as an investigator as well as a supervisor. Lt. Murphy is also a graduate of the FBI Academy and was an FBI Agent from 1996 till 2002. 

Sergeant Mark Cabral has been a member of the Barnstable Police Department since 2002 and is currently assigned to the Patrol Division. Sgt. Cabral is one of the department’s Field Training Officers, whom are responsible for training new officers after they graduate the police academy.

Sergeant Christopher Challies has been a member of the Barnstable Police Department since 1998 and is currently assigned to the Patrol Division. Sgt. Challies is a member of the Cape Cod Regional SWAT Team, a member of the mountain bike unit, a field training officer, and a firearms instructor. 

Sergeant Thomas Bird has been a member of the Barnstable Police Department since 1994 and is currently assigned to the Patrol Division. Sgt. Bird is a United States Marine Corps Veteran.

This article was provided as a press release by the Barnstable Police Department.