POLICE DEPARTMENT

 Mission Statement

The Mission Philosophy of the South Kingstown Police Department is a component of the Department Rules and Regulations, which in accordance with the Town Charter were adopted and approved by the Town Council in August 1987. This mission statement is unique in that in addition to defining the well-accepted principal duties of law enforcement, it also advocates that the Town’s public safety personnel recognize the need to function as community service providers.

Department Rules and Regulations require the Chief of Police to prepare an annual report that encompasses the calendar year. Following department procedure, the report is prepared in a manner that provides comparisons of departmental statistics for the past few years.

The 2005 Annual Report, submitted in March 2006, includes the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) which contains statistical information covering the seven major crime classifications of homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft. UCR figures for FY2005-2006 show the number of known offenses reported to the police to be 523. When compared to the report for FY2004-2005, the record reflects a slight increase in the total number of rapes, robberies, assaults and larcenies reported to the police. There were decreases in the incidents of burglary and motor vehicle theft. There were no criminal homicides reported during FY2005-2006.

The number of adult arrests rose from the 684 recorded during FY2004-2005 to 708 this past fiscal year. The number of juvenile arrests also rose from the 90 recorded during FY2004-2005 to 147 in FY2005-2006.

The number of adults arrested for driving under the influence during FY2005-2006 was 74. This is a decrease from the 92 adult arrests for driving under the influence recorded during FY2004-2005.

DEPARTMENT IN GENERAL

As in past years, the Police Department continues to work in unison with the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA), the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the American Red Cross – RI Chapter, and South County Hospital on community preparedness planning for incidents such as hurricanes, severe flooding, pandemic flu and terrorism.

During FY2005-2006, the Department utilized RIEMA/DHS grant money to purchase a cargo trailer to be utilized as a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Response Trailer. This same grant was used to outfit the Response Trailer with communications equipment; specifically UHF, VHF and 800MHz mobile radios. The trailer and its communications capabilities provide the Police Department with a self-sustaining communications center and command post. The Department also utilized RIEMA/DHS grant money to purchase a pick-up truck to serve as the prime mover for the WMD Response Trailer.

Additionally, the Police Department utilized RIEMA/DHS grant money to purchase a second pick-up truck to be utilized by the Harbor Patrol for the purpose of shoreline patrol and to serve as the prime mover for the Department’s boat.

Throughout FY2005-2006, the Police Department worked closely with members of the American Red Cross, South Kingstown Shelter Services and the School Department in seeking Red Cross approval for the town’s three Emergency Evacuation Centers. The High School has been accepted by the Red Cross as the town’s primary shelter. Broad Rock Middle School and Curtis Corner Middle School will serve as secondary, or over-flow, shelters if necessary.

The Department continues a pro-active approach to alcohol enforcement and education initiatives to abate underage alcohol consumption. Utilizing an $8,000.00 grant from the RI Department of Health, Retardation and Hospitals (MHRH), Division of Substance Abuse, the Police Department conducted numerous “Cops in Shops” details where liquor store owners and bar license holders allowed undercover officers to view alcohol sales and check for fraudulent identification cards.

Approximately 100 false identification cards/driver’s licenses have been confiscated this year through the “Cops in Shops” program and the co-operative efforts of the local businesses. The Department conducted seminars for five businesses to assist employees in the detection of fake IDs.

In addition to the MHRH grant, the Police Department received $15,000 through the State Incentive Grant (SIG). In April 2006, police officers conducted alcohol compliance checks at all 35 liquor license holder/vendors in town. The checks were conducted utilizing an underage subject. For the first time, the town achieved a 100% success rate. 28 businesses passed the check. Two sites had no public entry, and five sites were closed (seasonal) or under construction. Reinforced education, awareness and enforcement have made this initiative successful.

The Police Department also received a $500 grant offered through the RI Department of Health, Division of Substance Abuse, to conduct tobacco compliance checks at establishments throughout town where tobacco products are sold. The Department conducted fourteen compliance checks to ascertan whether tobacco was being unlawfully being sold to persons under the age of eighteen. Five violations were recorded. Warning letters were sent to each establishment indicating that subsequent violations may result in prosecution.

During FY2005-2006, the Police Department continued its pro-active traffic safety initiatives. The Traffic Awareness Program (TAP) remains a vital component of the department’s strategy to deter traffic violations that are often contributing factors in traffic accidents. A solar-powered speed-monitoring trailer that displays the speed of passing motorists augments the TAP Program. The speed-trailer is deployed to areas of high volume traffic and to areas that concerned citizens have reported to be problematic.

The Police Department once again participated in the RIDOT/Office of Highway Safety “Operation Blue Riptide” program and received two grant awards to conduct planned Impaired/Drunk Driving Enforcement and Speed management activities. The amount of the grants totaled $13,500 for DWI Enforcement and $12,000 for Speed Management. The additional dedicated patrols, provided through these grants, enable the Police Department to continue its assertive highway safety efforts.

During FY2005-2006, the Police Department also received a $10,300 Child Passenger Safety and Seat Belt Grant from the RI Department of Transportation/Office of Highway Safety to conduct child safety seat clinics and checks. This grant allows the Department’s certified Safety Seat Inspectors to hold advertised child safety seat inspections throughout the community. If an inspection reveals that a child safety seat is either unsafe or outdated, the officers provide a new seat that was purchased through grant funds. The department’s Safety Seat Inspectors conducted 160 checks during FY2005-2006.

In January 2006, the Department recognized Sergeant Brian O’Hara as the 3rd recipient of the “Officer of the Year” award. Sergeant O’Hara received the award for his leadership skills and the level of commitment and passion that he brings to the police profession. He became involved in several incidents throughout the year in which his actions and decision-making skills resulted in positive outcomes for the citizens of South Kingstown. These incidents included the rescue of a 1,200 pound horse that had wandered onto the deep-end of a frozen in-ground swimming pool and crashed through the ice; life-saving assistance provided to 2 suicidal persons; and investigation of a hit-and-run motor vehicle accident that left a dog dead and a pedestrian seriously injured.

In June 2006, the Department re-activated the Bicycle Patrol Unit. The Bicycle Patrol is utilized throughout the summer and fall seasons and focuses on the villages of Peace Dale, Wakefield, and the south shore beach areas. The Bicycle Patrol is also routinely detailed to neighborhoods for crime patrol/prevention purposes in response to suspicious activity or reported crimes. The Bicycle Patrol is on-duty during the annual July 4th fireworks demonstration at Old Mountain Field and also patrols the William C. O’Neill Bike Path and the properties of the Housing Authority.

During FY2005-2006, the Police Department saw the retirement of several veteran officers, including Lieutenant Geoffrey Peckham, Sergeant David Kenneally, Detective Patrick Strickland, Detective Michael Nolan, and Officers Barry Ennis and Douglas Huber.

Lieutenant Jeffrey Allen was promoted to the rank of Captain and currently serves as the Patrol Division Commander. Sergeants William Buckley and Gerald Richard were promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. Lieutenant Buckley currently serves as the Administrative Assistant to Chief Vespia and Lieutenant Richard serves as the Third-shift Patrol Commander. Officers Scott Orton, Joel Ewing-Chow, Michael Burns and Patricia Gardner were promoted to the rank of Sergeant and serve as shift supervisors in the Patrol Division. In addition, Officers Michael Chappell and Jason Wheatley were transferred to the Detective Division.

The Department welcomed three new police officers upon their graduation from the RI Municipal Police Training Academy – Officers Jerome Gillen, Andrew Hopewood and Seth Christy. Robert Dobbing was hired as a full-time police dispatcher to replace Dispatcher Kristin Kyhos who resigned.

The Department currently has three of its members serving overseas on active military duty. Officers Jeffrey Coons, Michael Grzybowski and Gary Marquis are members of the US Army Guard stationed in Iraq. Officer Coons holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Officer Grzybowski holds the rank of Captain, and Officer Marquis is a Lieutenant. In June 2006, the department received word that Lieutenant Colonel Coons was awarded the Bronze Star for exceptional meritorious service in a combat zone during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

 Communication System Improvements return to top

• 15 CDMA Verizon Modems
• 26 Dell Workstations
• 15 Cyber Comm CDMA Antennas
• Four Dell Notebook Computers
• One Dell Flat Screen Dispatch Monitor
• One Dell Sonic Firewall Hardware upgrade
• Call check capability upgrade for the Department Dictaphone System
• Dell Latitude D810 laptop computer (provided by RIEMA for the purpose of participating in RIEMA WebEOC (Emergency Operations Center) statewide exercises.

 Equipment Improvements return to top

• Thirty Sig Sauer P226R .357 Cal pistols and leather gear*
• Six 2006 Crown Victoria Police Vehicles - marked
• One 2006 Chevrolet Impala - unmarked
• Three Pro-Advantage digital cameras
• Laser scanner system and color laser printer for the Detective Division (Byrne Grant)
• One Genesis handheld directional (GHD) radar unit (RIDOT/Operation Blue Riptide)
• Seven soft body-armor bullet proof vests (Partial grant)
• CMI Intoxilyzer 5000 breath testing instrument (Bryne Grant)
• Laser Fiche Imaging System upgrade for the Records Department (Partial grant)
• One Patrol Vehicle LED light bar system
• One Lifepack Automated External Defibrillator (AED) (donation)
• Honeywell Environmental Control System software upgrade (Heating/AC)
• Cogent-Livescan System Electronic Fingerprinting System
• 13 Tactical weapon lights for the Emergency Services Unit
• Three Motorola CDM 1250 Mobile radios
• Three Motorola EX500 Portable radios
• One Automatic paper folder for the Detective Division to assist with Sexual Offender Notification
• One Portable/undercover DVR Surveillance System for the Detective Division (Partial grants)
• One Vista-FX Accident Reconstruction software upgrade for the Detective Division
• Office furniture for OIC offices (Byrne Grant)