Six members of the Suffolk Police Department were promoted Wednesday in a ceremony in City Council chambers.

The officers were pinned by family members and administered the oath of office by Circuit Court Clark Randy Carter. They also heard inspirational speeches from the police chief, mayor and city manager.

“You’ve all worked very hard in your careers to get to where you are today,” Chief Thomas Bennett said. “You are all leaders now in this police department. The days of following are over.”

City Manager Selena Cuffee-Glenn thanked the officers for their desire to become leaders in the department, as did Mayor Linda T. Johnson.

The fact you are moving up in this wonderful department is an honor for us as well as for you,” Johnson said. “Thank you so much for what you do for us each and every day. We go about our daily lives in peace because you put yours on the line.”

Sgt. Cassandra Garvin, as the ranking officer being promoted, gave the traditional speech on behalf of the promotees.

Her speech focused on traits of successful leaders, including honesty, focus, passion, respect and confidence.

Garvin has worked for the Suffolk Police Department since February 2007 and was named the department’s accreditation manager in 2009. She now is assigned to administration, where she handles accreditation, quartermaster, and property and evidence. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Oklahoma.

Other promotees were:

• Master Police Officer William Craig, who grew up in Chesapeake and graduated from Greenbrier Christian Academy. He also attended Liberty University. He has been in uniform patrol with the Suffolk Police Department for more than 13 years. For six years he was part of the K-9 division until his partner, Nytro, died in 2009. He has earned numerous Officer of the Week awards, as well as Team of the Quarter. He and Nytro also earned a Community Outreach Award for various calls for service, including a successful track and find of a young child with disabilities.
• Master Police officer Tammy James, who grew up in Detroit, Mich., and served in the U.S. Navy for four years before coming to the Suffolk Police Department in 1995. She has worked as a patrol officer and a D.A.R.E. officer prior to her transfer to special operations, where she has worked as a school resource officer since 2009.
• Master Police Officer Andre Weaver, who joined the Suffolk Police Department in 1985. He has served in the uniform patrol and special investigation unit, which included an assignment to the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. He has also served in the Detective Bureau before getting his present assignment as a school resource officer. He has a number of certifications, including D.A.R.E. K-12, and has been Officer of the Quarter and nominated twice for the Top Cop award.
• Senior Police Officer Sherry Fellers, who has been with the department for nearly eight years. She is a native of Portsmouth who now lives in Suffolk and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Virginia Wesleyan College. She is a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. She began her career in uniform patrol, then was assigned as the department’s property and evidence custodian. She also serves on the department’s honor guard.
• Senior Police Officer Tyron Langston, who joined the department in 2005. He has served in uniform patrol until being assigned to the Neighborhood Enforcement Team South in 2010. He is a certified general instructor and defensive tactics instructor. He first began his law enforcement career in the Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office as a courtroom deputy.