Medford Police Celebrate Promotion Of 4 Officers

A lot of changes are currently happening in local law enforcement.

By Benjamin Pierce, Patch Staff

Aug 27, 2026 9:22 AM EDT

Medford police has nearly 100 sworn officers. (Ben Pierce/Patch)

MEDFORD, MA — Four members of the Medford Police Department have been promoted to new leadership positions within the department.

Joe Casey was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain, while Rich Ziobro was promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant. Dean Bruno and Dave Rooney were both promoted to Sergeant.

Casey has 28 years of experience with Medford police. Throughout his career, he has served as a patrol officer and patrol sergeant, holding the rank of sergeant for four years before being promoted to lieutenant in 2015. As a lieutenant, Casey served in Professional Standards before moving to Training, where his responsibilities included working closely with student officers and newly sworn officers as they began their careers with the department. The department's 2024 annual report also listed Casey as overseeing Training and Records, while he has served as the department's Records Access Officer.

Ziobro has served with Medford police for 13 years. He spent several years as a School Resource Officer at Medford High School, becoming a familiar face to students and staff at the school. Ziobro was promoted to sergeant in 2023 and has since served as a night shift patrol supervisor. His previous promotion to sergeant was part of a 2023 ceremony that also included the promotions of James Benoit to captain and Carl Brooks to lieutenant.

Bruno joined Medford police in 2018 and has spent much of his career working the night shift and patrolling the East Side of the city. Before joining the department, he served with the Salem State University Police Department. Bruno is also a member of the Medford Police Department's Child Passenger Safety Unit and Community Engagement Unit.

Bruno was also one of three Medford police officers who helped deliver a baby at a resident's home in October 2020. Bruno and Officers Matthew Nestor and Benjamin Franzese responded after the child's mother called 911 when she realized she would not make it to the hospital before giving birth. The officers helped safely deliver the baby before Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn later presented each of them with official citations recognizing their actions.

Rooney has served with Medford police for 28 years after joining the department in 1998. He has worked as a detective since 2006 and has spent much of that time specializing in narcotics investigations as a member of the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force. Before joining Medford police, Rooney served with the Tufts University Police Department.

The promotions come as Medford police prepare for another change in department leadership. Police Chief Jack Buckley plans to retire on Dec. 19 following 28 years with the department, including the past eight years as chief. The city has already begun searching for his successor after Gov. Maura Healey signed legislation on Aug. 21 allowing Medford to exempt its police chief and deputy police chief positions from civil service law and broaden its pool of candidates.