SPRINGFIELD -- Arrested for soliciting a prostitute? Criminally charged for bashing a car with a shovel while out on injury leave? Neither is a barrier to career advancement at the Springfield Police Department.

Two of nine officers promoted to sergeant this month were arrested in recent years. One of them is the spouse of the police commissioner.

At the stroke of midnight on June 4, nine patrolmen became sergeants after being promoted by onetime acting Commissioner William Cochrane, who stepped in in late May for the limited purpose of promoting Commissioner John Barbieri's wife and eight others, according to city records obtained by The Republican.

Cochrane served in that narrow capacity based on an appointment by Mayor Domenic Sarno that commenced and expired on May 18, a letter from Sarno shows. Barbieri's wife, now-Sgt. Eleni S. Barbieri, was the last of nine to make the cut among patrolmen promoted.

In response to a request for comment for this story, John Barbieri told a reporter he sought an ethics decision from Sarno on the matter, which the city provided in response to a public records request by The Republican.

The records show John Barbieri made an official disclosure on May 3 that he was married to one of the candidates for promotion who stood to gain a $14,000 boost in annual pay, and an increase in educational and overtime benefits.

"My spouse is a Springfield Police Officer whose name appears on the Civil Service Promotional list for sergeant. There are nine openings; her name appears in the top nine names on the list of eligibility. There have been five promotions off of the current civil service sergeant eligibility list - no bypasses. Due to upcoming retirements, there an are expected minimum two to three more sergeants positions expected to open before the expiration of the current eligibility list," the form read.

Other newly-minted sergeants are Shaun P. Linnehan, George T. Flanagan, James A. Mazza, Moises Zanazanian, Edward J. Seder, Joseph T. Piemonte and Mark P. Russell.

Additionally, two sergeants, Reginald Miller and Charles A. Howard, made lieutenant; and one lieutenant, Steven M. Kent, made captain. They were promoted by John Barbieiri, the commissioner confirmed.

None of those had public missteps on their records.

There are no signatures on the ethics decision provided to The Republican aside from John Barbieri's. The appointing authority, whose information is left blank, is presumably Sarno. That person decides that that financial gain is not "so substantial" as to affect the integrity of the process.

Attached to the disclosure form provided by the city is a letter to City ClerkAnthony Wilson from Sarno dated May 16, appointing Cochrane as temporary commissioner solely to promote the sergeants and presumably to make the hires and avoid an appearance of conflict -- although Sarno's letter makes no mention of it.

"I hereby appoint William Cochrane, who resides in Springfield, Massachusetts, to act as Police Commissioner solely for the limited purpose of serving as appointing authority relative to the nine current vacancies in the positions of police sergeant," his letter reads.

"This appointment shall be effective May 18, 2017 and terminate upon completion of the promotional process in accordance with the law, and I certify that in my opinion he is a person especially suited by education, training or experience to perform the duties of said office and that I make the appointment solely in the interest of the City," it concludes.

The promotions were announced internally and without public fanfare, thus far.

Vandalism charges

Sgt. Barbieri was assigned to the police academy when Commissioner Barbieri was appointed by Sarno in 2014. She was the only woman to have been promoted in this round. She is also the only candidate who was arrested, along with her former husband, for allegedly vandalizing a woman's car in the driveway of her former home in Somers, Connecticut, in 2013.

At the time, Connecticut State Police reported that Eleni Barbieri, whose last name at the time was Mendez, and her husband at the time, Pedro Mendez -- also a onetime Springfield cop who was fired -- were arrested after the two caused "extensive damage" to a family acquaintance's Mercedes. Police said the 48-year-old woman showed up in the couple's driveway and caused a disturbance.

Related: Springfield Police Officer Eleni Mendez reportedly arrested following disturbance at her Somers, Conn. home

For her part, Eleni Mendez smashed the woman's car with a shovel and broke several windows, police said. She pleaded not guilty in Rockville Superior Court to criminal mischief, breach of peace, threatening and reckless endangerment.

Pedro Mendez pleaded not guilty to criminal mischief. The owner of the car, Nataliya Smirnova, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty to breach of the peace and third-degree assault, records show.

Eleni Mendez's employment status was "injured on-duty" at the time of her arrest, a police spokesman said. She had suffered a concussion while trying to quell a brawl outside the Fat Cat bar on Worthington Street three months earlier.

She received a lengthy suspension after an internal investigation into the arrest, police have said, though that is on appeal.

The disposition of the Connecticut case was no longer publicly available, a member of the Rockville Superior Court clerk's office recently told a reporter.

Prostitution arrest

While Eleni Barbieri has the distinction of being the only new female sergeant, she does not hold the distinction of being the only candidate promoted despite a prior arrest.

Former patrolman and new Sgt. John Wadlegger was arrested in a prostitution sting dubbed Operation Cupid on Valentine's Day in 2014.

That arrest occurred in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Police there said the sting was orchestrated to tamp down the prostitution trade in motels near Bradley International Airport. An undercover officer placed an ad on a website offering sex for a fee. Takers were arrested when they arrived at a hotel there.

Ironically, Wadlegger was a detective at the time in what was formerly known as the "vice unit," which conducted prostitution stings, among other investigations. He was suspended for 10 days over the incident, records later showed.

Related: Prostitution charges dropped against Springfield police officer

The case was later dismissed in Enfield Superior Court after Wadlegger, then 42, agreed to participate in an accelerated rehabilitation program for first-time offenders in exchange for a clean record.

Wadlegger has more recently worked on the popular C3 program, which is essentially community policing, but a celebrated model that Barbieri has expanded from the North End across the city.

When asked about his choices for sergeant, which are driven nearly exclusively by civil service scores and standards, Cochrane said:

"(City Solicitor Edward) Pikula contacted me and asked if I would be willing to take a temporary appointment to act as Police Commissioner solely for the limited purpose of serving as appointing authority relative to selecting individuals for promotion to the rank of sergeant. I accepted, and was provided a list from Civil Service of thirteen officers in order of passing grade that were eligible for promotion to sergeant. I reviewed the work history, personnel files and disciplinary records of each officer on the list. In my opinion, there was no reason to bypass any of the top nine candidates on the list. Therefore, I decided to promote the top nine officers to sergeant," Cochrane said.

"Regarding the promotion of Sgt. Wadlegger, I did review his IIU file especially the incident where he was arrested in Connecticut in February 2014. The criminal charges in Connecticut were expunged. Since that incident, there have been no disciplinary issues and he has been working in the C3 Metro Unit where he had performed in an exemplary manner," he added.

Wadlegger ranked sixth of the eligible candidates, records show. Test scores were unavailable but the prospects were listed from first (Linnehan) to last (Barbieiri) in a queue made available through another public records request by The Republican.

Residency question

John Barbieri defended the process and bristled when a reporter asked whether he found his dual residency in Springfield and Somers, Connecticut, a potential issue.

Residency has been an ongoing public controversy in both the police and fire departments. The City Council recently rejected a proposed contract with Springfield's deputy fire chiefs because it did not include a residency requirement for those currently in the position.

Barbieri told a reporter he found it "highly insulting" to even be asked whether he was concerned some may question his maintenance of a small home in the city's Sixteen Acres section as his actual residence, while he describes a stately, $400,000-plus house he owns across from sprawling farmland in Somers as a place he only stays on his days off.

"I live in Springfield. I have a spotless 29-year record with the Springfield Police Department and would not jeopardize my reputation or Mayor Sarno's trust by lying about my address. My wife of two years, and stepchildren live in Somers, very near her grandmother -- I only stay there on weekends, vacation days/off or if there is an unusual need. It's difficult at times -- but we make it work. I agreed to abide by residency when I took this job and I have and will continue to do so," Barbieiri said in an email.

The Republican maintains a policy of not publishing the home addresses of police officers barring extenuating circumstances.

The second house is approximately six miles away from Barbieri's Springfield home.

Sarno sent an unsolicited email to a reporter immediately following the exchange with Barbieri.

"I just wanted to issue a statement on your and the The Republican's continued inquiries on Commissioner John Barbieri and our Springfield Police Department. There are a few disgruntled entities that are trying to force a good man, a good cop, a respected, progressive and professional leader, Commissioner John Barbieri, to leave -- why? Because he's been a change agent. Commissioner Barbieri and our brave men and women in blue have done a remarkable job in reducing crime and cultivating positive community relationships," he wrote.

"As long as I have the honor and privilege to serve as the Mayor of Springfield, 'we will stay the course'. I will continue to stand by Commissioner Barbieri and our brave men and women in blue. Thank you, Stephanie. God Bless," the June 13 email read.

He refused to answer follow-up questions as to which particular changes he believed Barbieri, as a "change agent," may have made to marginalize certain "factions," as Sarno put it.

In a subsequent email, Sarno added, "As usual, the small factions are from within and that's for me to know and them to worry -- and as Bill Belichick says, and I state to those small factions -- 'do your job.'"

A spokeswoman headed off more follow-up questions and said Sarno would have no further comment.