Capt. Christopher Parella is the city manager’s choice to become second in command of the East Providence Police Department. 

Parella will be recommended for promotion by City Manager Peter Graczykowski to the East Providence Budget Commission. He would fill the spot held by the recently retired Maj. Charles Swenson.

All appointments must be approved by the Budget Commission,which makes final decisons on hiring. It is on the docket for the board’s meeting Thursday afternoon, Jan. 31.

Graczykowski said he is recommending Parella’s promotion because of his 20 years of service to the department, including serving as the captain of the traffic division. 

“It is the biggest department,” he said. “He has the most personnel under him.”

Parella’s promotion to major “will create some need to backfill as well as it creates a vacancy,” said Graczykowski. 

The city manager said he will recommend three other officers be promoted: Lt. John Sequeira to acting captain; Sgt. Mark Cadoret to lieutenant, and Det. Cpl. Samuel Luke to sergeant. All would be effective Jan. 31 if approved by the budget commission.

Eventually, Graczykowski said, the department also will have to fill a vacant patrol officer’s position. That can’t happen until this summer when the police academy produces another crop of police officers.