The Durham Police Department recognized 26 employees who were promoted in the last nine months during a ceremony at 7 p.m. tonight at City Hall.

The employees include two district commanders: Captain Winslow Forbes and Captain Rick Pendergrass.

Forbes joined the Police Department in 1988 and has served as an officer in the Patrol Bureau and with CATT (Crime Area Target Team). He has been a sergeant in the Youth Division and Traffic Services Division and served as a lieutenant in Community Services, District 4 and the Training Division. He is now commander of District 1, which serves eastern Durham. Forbes is also founder and director of the Forbes Foundation, which provides advanced leadership training to at-risk youths ages 10 to 13. The youths attend an intensive 40-day camp during the summer and continued to be mentored during the school year.

Pendergrass joined the Police Department in 1993 after working as a Durham County sheriff's deputy. He has served as an officer in the Patrol Bureau, CATT (Crime Area Target Team) and the Organized Crime Division and was a corporal on the Selective Enforcement Team (SET). Pendergrass was a sergeant in CATT, the Training Division and the Special Operations Division. As a lieutenant, he worked in the Internal Affairs Division and Special Operations Division. He has served as the commander in District 4, which covers southern Durham, since December 2008.
Two employees - Todd Rose and Jerry Yount - were promoted to the rank of lieutenant.

Rose joined the Police Department in 1994 and served as an officer in the Patrol Division and as an investigator in Violent Crimes, Homicide and the Special Operations Division (Street Crimes Unit and FBI Task Force). He was the department's range master for several years and is now assistant commander of the Special Operations Division.
Yount, who joined the Police Department in 1994, served in the Patrol Bureau and as a sergeant in the Youth Division and District 2 Investigations. Yount is a hostage negotiator and is currently D Squad watch commander.

Other promotions include:
Sergeants - Todd Bobal, April Browne, Felisa Francis, Robert Gaddy Jr. and Glen Price
Corporals - Harlan Crenshaw, Donyale Ellis, Victor Figueroa, Delondon Gaither, Brian Massengill and Natausha Pettiford
Master Officers - Brian Black, James Cartwright, Jeffery Fair, Everette Jeffries, Douglas Rausch, Michele Soucie, Kenneth Stephens and Robert Swartz
Forensic Services Manager - Angela Ashby

Administrative Assistants - Rosemary Kearney and Ira Wilkins