WESTPORT–Three Westport police officers will be promoted to new positions in a ceremony Thursday morning, Police Chief David Farrell and the department announced. The officers and their new positions are:

• Detective Sean Doyle
• Sergeant James Baker III
• Lieutenant Howard F. Simpson III

“Please join us both in congratulating these officers on their accomplishments and wishing them continued success in their new roles!” the department said in a release.

All are invited to the promotional ceremony in the classroom of the Westport Police Department, 50 Jesup Road, at 9:30 a.m.

Here’s a look at the officers:

Detective Sean Doyle

Doyle has served two law enforcement agencies, as well as multiple specialized units. He will join the Westport department’s investigative services bureau upon his promotion.

A graduate of Sacred Heart University of Fairfield with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, Doyle served in the Hartford Police Department for approximately three years before joining the Westport Police Department in October 2021.

In Westport, he has been assigned primarily to the patrol division, but has also broadened his experience as a full-time member of the department’s marine unit for the past two summers. This year the Westport Rotary Club bestowed an award on him for his involvement in an open water rescue of 29 people in March 2024. He has also received two Unit Citations from the department for his involvement in the recovery of stolen vehicles and the arrest of the suspects involved in the thefts.

Doyle serves as a member of both the Westport Police and Westport Fire Department’s Joint Dive Rescue Team as well as the accident investigation/crash reconstruction team. He is also a certified Police Officer Standards and Training Council instructor in de-escalation, defensive tactics and handcuffing as well as in the use of oleoresin capsicum spray, the police baton and the taser.

Sergeant James Baker III

Baker began his law enforcement career in 2009 with the Fairfield Police Department. There he served on three specialized units – the emergency response team, honor guard and crisis intervention team – and received the department’s Medal of Honorable Service.

When he joined the Westport Police Department in May 2013, he continued a family tradition. He is a third generation Westport Police Officer; the grandson of retired Westport Police Lieutenant Joseph McAleenan (the first chief of the Weston Police Department), and son of retired Westport Detective James Baker Jr.  

Baker has contributed to two specialized units in the department; the Honor Guard and Westport Police and Westport Fire Department’s dive rescue team. He previously served as a K-9 handler.

Baker was promoted to detective in February 2018 and served as a general investigator with a specialization in digital forensics, cybercrime and cryptocurrency tracing. He was assigned to the Connecticut Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Connecticut Financial Crime Task force and most recently has been assigned as a task force officer with Homeland Security Investigations, where he has assisted multiple agencies across the state investigating internet crimes against children as well as cybercrime and financial crimes. 

Throughout his career in Westport, Sergeant Baker has received numerous departmental awards, including a Meritorious Police Duty award, an Honorable Police Service Award, seven Investigator Ribbons, and three Unit Citations.

Lieutenant Howard E. Simpson III

A graduate of Charter Oak State College, Simpson obtained a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies. He began his career with the Westport Police Department in October 2003 as a patrol officer, bringing a decade of law enforcement experience with the Milford Police Department and the Connecticut State Police.

He was promoted to corporal in 2014 and to sergeant in 2022.

Simpson holds certifications as an Emergency Medical Technician and intoxilyzer instructor, and has also served as a taser instructor, field training officer, and telecommunicator.

He has contributed to numerous specialized units in the agency, including the accident investigation/crash reconstruction team and the marine division. He has served on the Westport Police Union Executive Board for sixteen years, including seven years as union president.

The honors he has received include the Honorable Police Service Ribbon, five Unit Citations and a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) award for his enforcement efforts against impaired driving. He was also recognized with a service ribbon for his contributions to Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, in response to the Sandy Hook incident.

Lieutenant Simpson is supported by his wife Joanne and their twin daughters, Emma and Ella.