Patrol Division:
Contact Information:
Acting Captain Christopher Parella
There are 60 uniformed officers that comprise the patrol division which is divided into a patrol unit, a traffic unit, three Student Resource Officers, one Community Policing Sergeant, and one Community Relations Officer.
The Patrol Division’s responsibilities include patrolling the city in marked police cruisers, and occasionally on bicycles and motorcycles. The objective being to promote a better quality of life for East Providence citizens and visitors by creating a safe environment for the community to enjoy. The bulk of a patrol officer’s time is spent on patrolling the city, on responding to self initiated and dispatched calls for service, and the subsequent report writing for arrests, incidents, and accidents.
Patrol Officers work in conjunction with the other department divisions and units as well as other City agencies and other law enforcement agencies. We also work together with, our Harbor Patrol, Animal Control Officer, and School Crossing Guards to improve the overall quality of life for the citizens of East Providence. The Patrol Division is also an integral part of the overall Homeland Security protection plan for our local area.
A Patrol Officer’s duties and responsibilities are to be aware of, to observe, report on, and take appropriate police action when being aware of any situation requiring police intervention. An Officer’s duties could vary each day as they normally are the first responders to any emergency situation in the City. As an officer starts their day, they have to be prepared to handle any contingency until other officers or other services arrive. This could be anything from a civil intervention for a neighborhood quality of life concern, to a criminal felony in progress, to performing emergency first aid or CPR.
Officers are vested by law with powers of arrest and seizure and to intervene in an emergency situation. To prepare for this, an officer goes through a very selective recruiting and selection process which is followed by an extensive background, medical, and psychological screening. After a further selection process, including a personal interview and a rating, the officer is sent to the RI Municipal Police Training Academy for a 16 week paramilitary training program. If successful, the officer then goes through a 12 week department field training program before being allowed to patrol on their own. The officer is then closely monitored for the remainder of a year before becoming a fully accredited officer with the East Providence Police Department.
The Patrol Division handles the vast majority of the department’s calls for service (CFS) along with a vast majority of its accidents, arrests, and investigations. Most situations are handled without an arrest or citation, those incidents where that is not the case, a patrol officer would handle the case from the initial call to the extent that he/she is able to during their shift. That case then, depending on its severity, would generally go to a detective or other specialized unit.
Community Relations:
Contact Information:
Community Relations Officer Patrolman Thomas Aguiar
(401) 435-7630
Sweetland House (next to the Senior Center)
610 Waterman Avenue
East Providence, RI 02914
The Community Relations Unit is staffed by one Patrol Officer: Patrolman Thomas Aguiar. The position is referred to simply as the Community Relations Officer or “CRO.” Although this unit operates on many tenets of the Community Policing philosophy, its basic function is less enforcement oriented. The CRO’s primary assignment has been and continues to be to fulfill the role as Senior Citizen Police Advocate, commonly referred to as an Elderly Affairs Officer. The CRO collaborates with the various senior citizen services agencies throughout Rhode Island to investigate and act upon cases of elder abuse, neglect, self-neglect, and financial exploitation. These agencies include, but are not limited to, the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs, the Alliance for Better Long Term Care, and the East Bay Community Action Program. The CRO acts as a resource point for senior citizen residents and their caregivers on a variety of concerns such as safety, memory illness, and crime prevention. The CRO also provides follow-up assistance to residents with mental illness, disabilities, and/or social services needs to ensure their well being in the community.
The Community Relations Officer is also responsible for crime prevention education programming and promoting police-citizen partnerships. Outside of meeting with various community groups to present education materials and information, the CRO also coordinates the East Providence Police Department Citizens Police Academy. The Citizens Police Academy has been a popular program since 1996 that offers participants a closer look at the operations of their own police department.
One significant relationship the CRO maintains is a connection to the elementary schools in East Providence. Much of the safety and violence prevention programming instituted by Community Relations occurs in the elementary schools and the connection is invaluable to building positive partnerships and community involvement with our youth.
Community Policing Unit:
Contact Information:
Sgt. John Andrews
(401) 435-1921
The East Providence Community Policing Unit includes three School Resource Officers and one Community Relations Officer, who also acts as the Elder Abuse/Affairs Officer (see above). The Community Policing Unit also oversees the Sexual Offender Notification process.
Some of the other services offered by the Community Policing Unit include.
1. Crime Watch Group development
2. Tobacco and underage drinking enforcement and checks
3. Citizens Police Academy
4. Police Station tours
5. Elderly affairs/safety presentations
6. Mediation and problem solving.
7. Elementary School Programs
8. Mediating various neighborhood complaints.
School Resource Officers:
Currently there are three Student Resource Officers in the City of East Providence. They are located at the East Providence High School (SRO Doug Borden), Martin Middle School (SRO Jose Taveira) and the Riverside Middle School (SRO Mike Spremulli). The SRO’s have the responsibility of investigating law enforcement matters, mentoring students, acting as an educator, and serving as an informal counselor. The School SRO’s must have a working knowledge of the community's social service agencies as well as the adult and juvenile justice system. The East Providence Police Department works with our school community, assisting families and helping to ensure our students feel safe while learning.
Some of an SRO’s responsibilities include:
Observing students entering school in the morning and leaving in the afternoon. Parents see a police presence and feel more assured that their child will be safe at school.
Conducting daily checks of the school’s exterior and interior for student safety and criminal activity reasons.
Monitoring the hallways during change of classes and observing students during lunch.
Assisting the Vice Principals with student and discipline issues.
Assisting with coordination of routine fire and emergency evacuation drills.
Assisting with other school staff members and/or DCYF on various student/family issues.
Speaking with parents on their children’s issues not resolved at the school level where police involvement is required or suggested.
A major portion of an SRO’s time is spent interacting with students to create a positive influence between the student and the East Providence Police Department.
The East Providence High School Resource Officer is Patrolman Doug Borden, a ten year veteran of the East Providence Police Department.
From Officer Border: “I am privileged to say that several years of my service have been spent as an SRO at the Martin Middle School as well as East Providence High. I am currently classified by the National Association of School Resource Officers with an advanced certification status which was obtained in 2009. Please feel free to contact me at the East Providence High School. I can be reached at 401-435-7806 or 401-435-7600. My e-mail address is officerdoug@epschoolsri.com. Thank-you! Pro bono publico!”
Traffic Unit:
The East Providence Police Traffic Unit consists of a Sergeant and three Officers. All members of the Unit currently are certified accident reconstructionists. The Unit handles all fatal and serious injury crashes. All hit and run crashes that are not solved by regular patrol officers are forwarded to the Traffic Unit for investigation. The unit also investigates most traffic related complaints (speeding, stop sign violation, etc.) along with patrol officers. To reach the Traffic unit please call 435-7654 and follow the prompts.