Town’s Police Department earns prestigious accreditation

The Johnston Police Department has been elevated into an elite class of law enforcement agencies.

At the outset of Monday night’s Town Council meeting, Warwick Police Chief Col. Stephen M. McCartney stepped to the podium and announced that the Johnston department would receive the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission (RIPAC) Award, a distinguished honor signifying that it has upheld the highest standards for its 90 policies on law enforcement best practice and complied with RIPAC’s 200 standards.

“It is an honor and privilege that I present this award to Chief [Richard S.] Tamburini. He was my mentor in Providence,” said McCartney, who serves as RIPAC’s chairman, began. “This is a great honor that requires lots of hard work, and he knows all about that, having 50 years of police experience.”

Christine Crocker, RIPAC’s executive director, added: “The accreditation process is no easy task. It requires hours and hours of preparation and work, so we congratulate Chief Tamburini and the JPD for becoming only fifth police department in the state to become fully accredited.”

“The Johnston Police Department is extremely proud to have been accepted and presented as a professionally accredited police agency by RIPAC,” Tamburini said after receiving the official plaque that will be on display at police headquarters.

“Achieving accreditation has been a long sought-after goal of ours, and tonight we achieve this prestigious accomplishment.”

Tamburini, who worked with McCartney during his 30-year career with Providence police before coming to Johnston, added: “On behalf of the men and women of the JPD, I proudly accept this designation of professional accreditation, which serves to distinguish us as having met law enforcement standards of conduct and service and our commitment to achieving and maintaining the highest level of law enforcement professional excellence.”

Moreover, as Tamburini said in front of a standing-room crowd inside the Johnston Municipal Courthouse: “This important, ambitious initiative is a testament to the professionalism and commitment to the best practices of our police officers … demonstrating our commitment to public service and accountability.”

Although the department received the RIPAC honor Monday night, the actual on-site assessment was held Nov. 5-6 and conducted by an independent and experienced team of assessors led by Inspector Brian Pinelli of Cranston and Capt. Sean Corrigan.

Tamburini said the Johnston department began preparing for the assessment two years ago, and Monday evening acknowledged the “tremendous effort, hard work, and indispensable commitment and dedication of our accreditation manger, Lt. Matt Benson and Capt. Matthew Leduc.”

Tamburini also announced that Crocker provided Benson and LeDuc with valuable support and advice at every stage of what he called a “long and challenging accreditation process,” but emphasized, “this would not have happened without the extraordinary efforts of these two great officers, Lt. Benson and Capt. LeDuc.”

Crocker concurred, and on behalf of the RIPAC board presented Benson and LeDuc with individual awards during Monday night’s ceremony.

Johnston police have met and exceeded the rigorous standards established by RIPAC, which are modeled after national accreditation standards of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

“Now that we are accredited, I’m calling on all our officers to take this opportunity to rededicate our focus on our highest mission – unfailing public safety service to the citizen of Johnston,” Tamburini said.