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, 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)
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, 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.
A new departmental headquarters is slated to be constructed in 2007. The RISP Museum in North Scituate has been constructed and is open to the public.
The current issue handgun to each trooper is a Sig Sauer P226 DAK chambered in a .357sig.
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. One of the ways that the uniform is unique is in the way that the troopers are not issued a traditional badge, such as a local police department, or county sheriff's department, rather, the identification is a set of numbers worn, stamped in brass, placed onto a piece of black fabric, with red piping on the edges, making the identification of the trooper rather unique. It is worn where the badge is usually worn by other departments, 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 draker 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 nylon web duty gear.
Rank structure
Fallen Officers
Since the establishment of the Rhode Island State Police, seven officers have died in the line of duty.
RISP 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.
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.
- Asian Massage Parlor Solicitation Controversy - On September 18th 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.
- "Brawl at the Hall" - A fundraiser for a deceased Providence police officer turned ugly early Saturday when an off-duty Rhode Island state trooper allegedly punched a Providence police sergeant in the face at the police union hall.
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.
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island
- State police
- State patrol
- Highway patrol
References
- ^ USDOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics Census of Law Enforcement Agencies
- ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html 2007 Population Estimates
- ^ USDOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics Census of Law Enforcement Agencies
- ^ USDOJ Bureau of Justice Statistics Census of Law Enforcement Agencies
- ^ Rhode Island State Police Directory
- ^ Rhode Island State Police Memorial Page
- ^ Mulvaney, Katie "http://www.projo.com/extra/2003/smokeshop/content/projo-20060123-niarraign.106b5c6a.html" The Providence Journal , 23 January 2007.
- ^ Arditi, Lyn "http://www.projo.com/news/content/police_and_spas_09-20-09_8PFLRRA_v245.2af21fd.html" The Providence Journal , 18 September 2009.
- ^ W. Zachary Malinowski "http://www.projo.com/news/content/COPS_BRAWL_09-08-09_7LFL607_v15.3a664c4.html" The Providence Journal