Rhode Island
New Brass. 10 Rhode Island police chiefs sworn in over the last year.
Thirty-seven police chiefs command the local police officers who work in Rhode Island’s cities and towns.
Twenty-one of those chiefs took their oaths less than five years ago.
Fifteen were sworn in less than three years ago.
The count rises to 16 if the grouping of city and town police chiefs is expanded to include the superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police: Col. Darnell S. Weaver took his oath in April 2022.
Of course, neither Weaver nor his counterparts in the cities and towns are newbies to law enforcement. Most logged many years of experience as lower-ranking police leaders before they took the reins of their respective organizations.
But being first-in-command is different. And the number of newcomers to the chief rank, including 10 chiefs who were sworn-in less than two years ago, has been noticed at monthly gatherings of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association.
The executive director of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, Sidney Wordell, said he can’t recall another time when Rhode Island had so many new police chiefs.
“No doubt, we’ve seen a turnover of chiefs that I have never seen before,” said Wordell, himself a former Little Compton police chief who has been YYYat the association for nine years.
The sheen of retirement
A collection of societal trends and economic factors have played into the recent wave of departures, according to Wordell.
A big influence, he says, involves the economics that have made it harder for employers everywhere to hold onto employees in general.
Even police chiefs, with less experience in the job, have management skills that can be desirable to employers, Wordell said.
In recent years, at least five police leaders in Rhode Island have shifted from law enforcement to work jobs as town administrators.
The environment for police work itself has been full of new challenges in recent years, from scrutiny and pressure brought by social justice activists, to enormous technological change to safety threats related to the willingness of some Americans to kill other people, including police officers, with high powered rifles such as the AR-15.
Chiefs also face more adversity in recruiting police officers.
All of these factors can put a different sheen on moving to a different occupation or retiring sooner rather than later.
On a certain level, Rhode Island has entered a new era, according to Wordell. The time when certain chiefs, police leaders like former Johnston police chief, Richard S. Tamburini stay in the job for more than 25 may be over.
“It’s unheard of,” Wordell said.
The sage veterans
Rhode Island’s most experienced police chief is Middletown Police Chief Anthony Pesare.
Pesare logged 18 years as Middletown’s chief before he left the force in 2018.
In February 2023, Pesare returned to lead the force after the departure of Chief William Kewer.
Only eight other police chiefs, in addition to Pesare, are still leading their departments after taking over more than 10 years ago.
Cranston’s police chief, Col. Michael J. Winquist, who swore his oath in October of 2014 — after a lengthy state police career — is in the next group of top police leaders.
Both Narragansett Police Chief Sean Corrigan and Woonsocket Police Chief Thomas F. Oates III are close behind Winquist.
What are more experienced chiefs doing to help newcomers?
Oates, who served as a deputy chief in Providence for many years before his appointment in Woonsocket, has noticed new faces at the association’s monthly gatherings.
The association has scheduled some special sessions that are specifically geared to help provide some orientation to new police chiefs.
Oates said he has closely coordinated with the new chief in neighboring Cumberland, Chief Matthew Benson as Benson has settled in.
All of the chiefs have worked together on projects such as the adoption of body cameras at departments across the state.
Such contact can help them handle crises, togeher, too, Oates said.
“It’s great,” he said.
Chiefs who were sworn in back before the pandemic started, more than four years ago, are in the next group behind Oates. They are Tiverton Police Chief Patrick Jones; Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves; Charlestown Police Chief Michael J. Paliotta; Little Compton Police Chief Scott N. Raynes; Portsmouth Police Chief Brian P. Peters; and, Bristol Police Chief Kevin Lynch.
Police chiefs of the 2020s
Chiefs who were sworn in more than three years ago, during the early pandemic era, include Coventry Police Chief Frederick J. Heise III; North Smithfield Chief Tim Lafferty; Central Falls’ police chief, Col. Anthony J. Roberson; Scituate Police Chief Eric C. Rollinson; Warren Police Chief Roy M. Borges; and, Warwick’s police chief, Col. Bradford E. Connor.
East Providence Police Chief Christopher Francesconi; West Warwick’s police chief, Col. Ernest Lavigne; and, North Providence Police Chief Alfredo Ruggiero Jr. were sworn in on the back end of the pandemic in 2021, more than two years ago.
South Kingstown Police Chief Matthew C. Moynihan took his oath less than two years ago in June 2022. But prior to that, in 2021 and 2022, the former state police veteran had led Block Island’s police force.
Rhode Island’s newest police chiefs
Benson in Cumberland, Westerly Police Chief Paul Gingerella, and Weaver were sworn in about two years ago.
Both Newport Police Chief Ryan G. Duffy, and Providence Police Chief Oscar L. Perez Jr. are now leading police organizations in two of Rhode Island’s largest cities after taking their oaths less than two years ago.
Johnston Police Chief Mark A. Vieira also took his oath last year in January. Several months later, Vieira had one of the busiest days of his career when a Simmonsville man shot and killed his own mother. The same man also shot and killed a 44-year-old neighbor and he shot a teenage neighbor before he died in a confrontation with Cranston and Providence police.
Three Rhode Island chiefs took their oaths within the past year: They are Foster Police Chief Gina Lindell, Lincoln Police Chief Dennis Fleming, and Jamestown Police Chief James Campbell.
New Shoreham Police Chief Paul Deane was sworn in on Block Island in February and Hopkinton Police Chief Mark Carrier became a chief in early March.
Newest of new
After serving as an acting chief for a period, North Kingstown Police Chief John J. Urban Jr. took his oath on March 27, rising to become the state’s newest police chief.
Urban, a 22-year police veteran who also served in Iraq with the Rhode Island National Guard, became North Kingstown’s acting chief in September.
He is optimistic about the prospects for a turnaround in recruiting and he has his own strategy for dealing with the many changes of the current era. Flexibility is key, he said.
Urban also recognizes that a certain leader might reach a point where providing flexibility isn’t possible.
“Then you have to go,” he said. “I say it all the time, we are just pictures on the walls.”
North Kingstown, said Urban, will have a police force long after he is gone, and, for that matter, long after his children, and their children, are gone.
“That’s just the facts,” he said.
(WJAR) — Who is Rhode Island FC Head Coach Khano Smith?
“I think to my core little boy from Bermuda, a small island. Still very much connected to my family, all my families there. Really close to his family. Really close to his mom. I have a daughter, she’s 20. Have a dog. I love dogs. Love soccer. Soccer is my hobby and my job.
At 6’5. The 45-year old’s mom is still the towering force in his life. He recalls a story of him as a young student back home.
Rhode Island FC Head Coach Khano Smith spoke with NBC 10’s Dan Jaehnig. (WJAR)
“My grades were dropping and my mom was trying to figure out a solution. She tried everything. She sat in class with me one day.”
At age 14 she sent her son from the warmth of Bermuda to a boarding school in Maine.
“Yeah, I was probably a terrible 14-year-old. That was the only time I didn’t call my mom on her birthday because I was still upset.”
But mother knows best.
“Yeah, it was the best thing she could have done for me. It taught me to grow up quickly. It taught me to be independent.”
Then to North Carolina for college playing soccer. After two successful seasons in Bermuda, he played for the New England Revs, then in 2023 the head coach and general manager of Rhode Island football club. The pressure is there.
“Yeah, but then you need to realize how fortunate you are and stick to the long term and for me you just need to stay grounded and stay in the middle. Never get too high and never get too low.”
He’s passionate about the game, the club and connects with his players. He has been there. He is hard on himself still.
“The goal of chasing perfection, like I know you can never achieve it, but you can always just chase it.
Off the field the single 45-year-old father of a 21-year-old who lives with her mom in Bermuda is challenged with the lack of time to do it all. He prefers to be single and spend time with his dog.
When he is not watching soccer, “Dances with Wolves” is his favorite movie.
Rhode Island FC Head Coach Khano Smith and his mom. (WJAR)
“He is with a group of people that he becomes friends with and becomes friends with a dog. And then he ends up becoming one of those people. I think it was probably at the time impressionable in my life.”
Michael Jordan is his favorite athlete because of his mindset.
When you sit and talk with him you learn that Khano Smith is self-aware. He knows who he is. A little boy from Bermuda who is following his dream.
When asked about what that little boy would think of him now.
“I think, I think he would admire me. I think he would be yeah, I wanted to do that and I think I’ve been fortunate.”
The Real Housewives of Rhode Island Season 1 reunion looks are finally here! And the shell-holders look amazing in their ocean-inspired gowns in varying shades of blue hues.
Cast members Alicia Carmody, Rosie DiMare, Ashley Iaconetti, Liz McGraw, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Kelsey Swanson, and Jo-Ellen Tiberi all donned their most fabulous fits for their first-ever sit down with Andy Cohen. And every one of the ladies delivered with their dresses, opting for different textures and shades of their blue gowns.
The women looked so stunning in their ensembles. Some, like Alicia and Kelsey, opted for sequins. Others, like Ashley, Jo-Ellen, and Rulla, went for some intricate beading. Meanwhile, Rosie and Liz chose unique textures for their looks. The ocean also inspired their hair too, with most women going for beach-y waves, while Ashley went for a sleek ponytail.
Read on to get all of the details from their ensembles and see their fabulous outfits down below.
Alicia Carmody
Dress: Rat & Boa; Shoes: Jimmy Choo; Jewelry: Hannoush Jewelers; Makeup Artist: Cara Valente; Hairstylist: StephDstyle
Alicia explained to BravoTV.com that she wanted to go full mermaid with her light blue, cowl-neck dress, covered in paillette sequins. “I love a mermaid,” she said backstage. “And so my look today is inspired by a mermaid. A Rhode Island mermaid.”
Rosie DiMare
Dress: Albina Dyla; Shoes: Arnoconti; Jewelry: Baxter’s Jewelry; Makeup Artist: Cara Valente; Hairstylist: Steph Demato
Rosie explained to BravoTV.com that her first ever reunion look, comprised of a light blue off-the-shoulder gown covered in 3D floral embellishments was very true to herself. “My reunion look is very princess-y. Very floral. Very Rosie,” she stated.
Ashley Iaconetti
Dress: ASHLEYlauren; Shoes: Nina; Jewelry; Jennifer Karimi; Stylist: The Stylist Duo; Makeup Artist: Erica Wright; Hairstylist: Jennifer Karimi
Ashley told BravoTV.com that she felt like a Disney princess in her bright blue beaded gown with off-the-shoulder beaded sleeves and silver heels. “My look, my outfit is so mermaid. It’s a very heavily bejeweled blue dress. I feel like Ariel in her wedding scene with Prince Eric,” she explained.
She complemented this dress with a more toned-down makeup look. “For makeup, I’m doing this look I did a couple of weeks ago for press. And it was so nice and relatively natural looking so love that,” she added backstage.
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Liz McGraw
Dress: L’IDÉE WOMAN, Sleeves: Graehme Alden; Makeup Artist: Kasey Spickard; Hairstylist: Kevin Kelly
Liz explained to BravoTV.com that had two looks to choose from for the reunion, one that brought “fire” and one that brought “ethereal” vibes. “I went with the angelic one because we don’t need any more anger from Elizabeth,” she quipped of her long-sleeved light blue gown with a pleated texture.
Rulla Nehme Pontarelli
Dress: Tabja Couture; Shoes: Jimmy Choo; Jewelry: Ross Simmons (Diamonds and Estate Collection); Stylist: Erin from Bravo; Makeup Artist: George Miguel Arnone; Hairstylist: Julius Michael
Rulla told BravoTV.com via email that she was going for an “elegant, sexy, chic” vibe with a “coastal feel” for her first reunion look. “I just wanted the best look possible and to feel like ‘me.’ And I think we nailed it!” she added.
Kelsey Swanson
Dress: J’amemme; Shoes: Schultz; Makeup: Erika Wright; Hair: Erickson Arrunategui
Kelsey admitted to BravoTV.com that she went for a more simple look with her bright blue, halter-neck, sequin gown. “The dress kind of has a wet look to it. It’s sequins, it’s simple,” she explained backstage. “But the fact that it’s wet is why we’re doing the wet look for the hair.”
Jo-Ellen Tiberi
Dress: Jovani; Shoes: Valentino; Jewelry: David Yurman; Stylist: Anthony Palmeri; Makeup Artist: Priscilla Distasio; Hairstylist: Kauri Sartini
Jo-Ellen told BravoTV.com via email that she was inspired by movement with her outfit. With this look, she channeled “an underwater goddess brought to life by crystals, couture, and a sculpted silhouette that moves like the ocean.”
Meet the RHORI Season 1 Cast (Official Bios and Photos)
Get a look at the RHORI Season 1 reunion seating chart ahead of the reunion.
A unique Rhode Island story is headed to the big screen with cast and crew in Warwick currently filming the project.
New England filmmaker Hanna Gray Organschi’s feature directorial debut is underway in the Ocean State, telling the tale of a controversial drive-thru condom kiosk that once really existed in Cranston.
Rubber Hut has been filming on West Shore Road in Warwick since early June and now Deadline.com is reporting even more big names have joined the cast.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
From the beginning actress Grace Van Patten (The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox) has been attached to the project playing Emanuella DelVecchio, a former Pan-Am stewardess who opens the condom kiosk in her Italian Catholic town and becomes a lightning rod in the community.
Big Names Join the Rubber Hut Cast
Now, additional big names like Emmy Rossum (Shameless), Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), Ariana Greenblatt (Now You See Me, Now You Don’t), Rosemarie DeWitt (Untamed), and Fisher Stevens (Succession) have been added to the cast as well.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Critics’ Choice Awards; Theo Wargo/Getty Images; Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images for L’Oréal Paris; Aurore Marechal/Getty Images; Lia Toby/Getty Images; canva
Though character details are still being kept under wraps, filming is expected to continue in Warwick until late June. Some of these stars could be spotted locally soon.
READ MORE: Real Housewives of Rhode Island To Film Second Season Soon
No word on what other Rhode Island locations might be used in this production or if any further Ocean State filming will continue after the condom-kiosk scenes are through. No release date has been revealed either.
The True Story Behind the Condom Hut
Rubber Hut is the true story of a one-time photo kiosk turned condom kiosk that gained national attention in 1992. DelVecchio had the idea to paint the renovated Fotomat kiosk pink and white and exclusively sell condoms as a public health response to the AIDS crisis.
The Italian Catholic neighborhood she opened in had other ideas.
DelVecchio enraged the community with her “Condom Hut” and they protested the concept. The “Condom Hut” was also condemned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, had a rock thrown through its window and was covered in graffiti. The business closed within a year.
READ MORE: New Bedford’s Closed Down Bars That Are Impossible To Forget
Now this wild tale out of Rhode Island is getting national attention once again. Cast and crew are shooting scenes at the newly built hut to share this unique story with a whole new generation soon.
15 of the Weirdest Laws in Rhode Island
The world has changed and yet some laws have stayed the same.
These are some of the strangest laws still on the books in Rhode Island.
Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall
Weird Sports It’s Now Legal to Bet On in Massachusetts
You might not know what floorball is, but you can now bet on it.
Gallery Credit: Michael Rock
Weird Weather Phenomena That Has Struck Massachusetts in the Last 50 Years
This suffocating heatwave that has arrived on the SouthCoast may be uncomfortable, but it doesn’t compare to these strange moments in Massachusetts history that had us wondering what Mother Nature was up to. Which one do you remember the most?
Gallery Credit: Maddie Levine
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