Rhode Island State Police

Rhode Island State Police
Abbreviation	RISP
Patch of the Rhode Island State Police.
Agency overview
Formed	April 2, 1925
Employees	233 (as of 2004) [1]
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	State of Rhode Island, USA
Map of Rhode Island State Police's jurisdiction.
Size	1,545 square miles (4,000 km2)
Population	1,057,832 (2007 est.)[2]
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Scituate, Rhode Island
Troopers	190 (as of 2004) [3]
Civilians	43 (as of 2004) [4]
Agency executive	Colonel Steven G. O'Donnell, Superintendent
Facilities
Barracks	5
Website
http://www.risp.state.ri.us/
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Rhode Island State Police (RISP) is an agency of the state of Rhode Island responsible for statewide law enforcement and regulation, especially in areas underserved by local police agencies and on the state's limited-access highways. Its headquarters is in Scituate, Rhode Island.

History

The RISP was founded in 1925 at the request of the state's General Assembly, and was modeled on the organization structure of the Pennsylvania State Police. Its first headquarters was in the Benefit Street Marine Corps Armory in Providence, which stationed the first twenty-three troopers and the Superintendent. At this stage, the department relied heavily on Indian motorcycles to perform their wide-ranging duties.

By the end of 1925, the RISP had moved its headquarters to a location in North Scituate, and organized itself into three patrol districts comprising the northern, southern, and "island" parts of the state. As the twentieth century progressed, the RISP enlarged and modified itself, establishing new barracks and instituting new programs to further meet its statewide policing mandate.

RISP at Present

Currently the RISP is composed of five patrol commands, referred to as barracks,^[5] located in:

• Lincoln (RISP-Lincoln Woods Barracks)
• Richmond (RISP-Hope Valley Barracks)
• North Scituate (RISP-Scituate Barracks)
• North Kingstown (RISP-Wickford Barracks)
• Portsmouth (RISP-Portsmouth Barracks)
• Chepachet (RISP-Chepachet Barracks, closed in 2008/2009)^[6][7]

The RISP fields an additional patrol command at the TF Green Airport in Warwick.

The department also maintains specialized units such as its Charitable Gaming Unit, SWAT team, Dive Team (SCUBA), Intelligence Unit, Detective Unit, Governor's Security Unit, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, Training Academy staff, as well as many other specialized units within the department.

The new Rhode Island State Police headquarters building was completed in 2010 in North Scituate on the same property where the old headquarters stood. The new building is the home of the RISP Detective Bureau, Cyber Crimes Unit, the state 911 emergency telephone center, as well as the RISP command staff and administration and other specialized RISP units. Buildings housing logistical support units are located at the same complex as the headquarters building. The old RISP Administrative Services building has been torn down. The RISP Museum in North Scituate has been constructed and is open to the public.

The current issue sidearm to each Trooper is a Sig Sauer Model P226 DAK (Double Action Kellerman) semi-automatic pistol chambered in .357 Sig caliber.

Less-Lethal weapons issued to Troopers include OC Pepper Spray and the Expandable Straight Baton.

Uniforms

The uniform of the Rhode Island State Police is unique and popular among the law enforcement community. The uniform has also won best dressed in the country in previous years and in 2005, The National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD) presented the Rhode Island State Police with a 80th Anniversary Commemorative Uniform Award. Unlike most police departments, Rhode Island State Troopers do not wear a traditional badge. Instead, they wear a set of numbers stamped in brass, placed onto a piece of black fabric, with red piping on the edges, over the left breast on the uniform shirt. The RISP does, however, issue a wallet badge for off-duty use/identification. The badge is gold colored for all ranks.

Unlike most other police agencies around the country that utilize black leather duty gear and footwear, the RISP wears leather duty gear and footwear (High Boots or Shoes Depending On The Uniform Season) that is a deep chestnut brown color. This creates for a very distinctive look. RISP high boots, shoes and most of the leather duty gear is produced by the historic Dehner Boot Company of Omaha Nebraska. The RISP also has the distinction of being one of the few if not the only agency to have three seasonal uniform changes as opposed to the standard two season (Summer & Winter) uniform change that most agencies utilize. The three consist of the Winter Uniform (High Boots, Breeches, Long Sleeve Shirt, W/ Sam Browne Strap), Spring/Fall Uniform (Shoes, Regular Uniform Pants, Long Sleeve Shirt, W/ Sam Browne Strap) and Summer Uniform (Shoes, Regular Uniform Pants, Short Sleeve Shirt, W/O Sam Browne Strap).

The primary colors on the State Police uniform are Black and Red. The epaulets worn on uniform shirts and dress blouses are black and piped in red. The stripe on the spring/fall and summer uniform pants is a wide black stripe while the striping on the winter/dress uniform breeches is a wide black stripe that is piped with a thinner red stripe. The spring/fall and summer uniform pants and shirts are a lighter charcoal gray while the winter and dress pants and shirts are a darker charcoal gray. A black tie is worn with the winter, spring/fall and dress uniforms and is tucked into the uniform shirt after the first button.

The uniform hat of the RISP is a gray straw campaign style hat for the summer and spring/fall uniforms while the winter and dress uniform hat is a tan felt campaign style hat. Both hats feature a brown leather band at the base of the hat and a gold colored hat badge mounted on a brown leather backing.

Specialized units (K-9, Tactical Unit, etc.) are authorized to wear BDU style utility uniforms and black nylon web duty gear.

Rhode Island State Police Uniforms (L-R) K-9 Utility, SWAT, Winter Patrol, Winter with Cold Weather Parka, Spring/Fall Patrol, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit (CVEU aka. Truck Squad)Winter Utility, Ceremonial Dress, Summer Patrol, CVEU Spring/Summer/Fall Utility, Motorcycle, Dress Uniform

Rank structure

Title	Insignia
Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Corporal
Trooper

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Rhode Island State Police, seven officers have died in the line of duty.^[8]

In popular culture

The RISP features prominently in the comedy film Me, Myself and Irene, with Jim Carrey playing a state trooper affected with multiple personality disorder.

In the television series Brotherhood (2006 TV series) the character of Declan Giggs, portrayed by the actor Ethan Embry, is a Rhode Island State Police Detective.

Controversy with the RISP

• Smoke Shop Raid - July 13, 2003 Governor Carcieri ordered the raid to stop the tribe from selling tobacco without charging state-mandated taxes. It disintegrated into a violent and widely televised scuffle between tribal members and police.^[9]

Front Door of a Providence Spa with multiple Police Stickers

• Asian Massage Parlor Solicitation Controversy - On September 18, 2009, the Providence Journal reported the State Police had been collecting donations from local Asian spas. Asian massage parlors or “spas” in Providence which police and local watch-dog groups maintain are often fronts for brothels, have for years donated to police association charities –– and conspicuously displayed their support by plastering stickers with police logos on their doors and windows. Spa ads also have turned up in The Rhode Island Trooper, the official publication of the non-profit Rhode Island Troopers Association, a membership organization of state troopers “dedicated to the improvement of the law enforcement profession...” The magazine’s spring/summer 2009 edition features articles on topics such as state police promotions, construction of a new state police headquarters and investigating fraud. The back of the magazine contains a directory filled with ads for area businesses. Under “pools & spas” is a thumbprint-sized listing for “Lily’s Spa.” “I’m embarrassed that it’s in there,” said State Police Trooper John M. Allen, president of the R.I. Troopers Association. In the 2007 issue, three ads for Asian spas in Providence showed up in the Trooper magazine.^[10]
• "Brawl at the Hall" - A fundraiser for a deceased Providence police officer turned ugly when an off-duty Rhode Island state trooper allegedly punched a Providence police sergeant on September 2009. The trooper, Edward J. Stenovitch, 41, was charged with one count of simple assault and battery, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned before a bail commissioner at Providence police headquarters and released on his own recognizance. “This investigation revealed that this was an unprovoked attack of a Providence police officer,” Kennedy said. “He was not even in a conversation with this guy. He never saw it coming.” Both officers are from police families. Stenovitch’s father, Edward Stenovitch, is a retired state trooper, while Gannon’s father, Bernard E. Gannon, retired as Providence police chief and is now the police chief in Burrillville. Teddy Gannon’s brother, Danny, is a Providence police lieutenant.^[11]

See also

Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

• List of law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island
• State police
• State patrol
• Highway patrol

References

External links

• Rhode Island State Police official website