Deputy chief: FBI National Academy ‘thrill of a lifetime’

“The Few, The Proud” may be part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ advertising slogan, but it’s also an appropriate for Daniel O. Parrillo, the deputy police chief in Johnston.

Parrillo, you see, was indeed among the chosen few – 1 percent of all police executives from all over the world – who were selected to attend the prestigious 10-week Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy in Quantico, Va.

The FBI academy is a professional course of study for United States and international law enforcement leaders. It has been in operation since 1935.

The academy serves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and to raise laws enforcement standards, knowledge and cooperation.

For Parrillo, it was “absolutely the thrill of a lifetime, the greatest experience I’ve had in 32 years of law enforcement. Just to work and train with police leaders from all over the world was incredible. Their vast knowledge was amazing.”

With the support of Johnston Mayor Joseph Polisena and Police Chief Richard S. Tamburni, Parrillo was chosen as the one Rhode Island representative for the academy’s session 257.

Even more impressive, perhaps, is that the academy is held four times a year, and Parrillo – after a lengthy qualifying process – was the Ocean State’s sole selection to attend the July 14-Sept. 19 session per a final ranking from the FBI’s Boston Field Office.

“When I tapped Dan to be my deputy chief, I did so because he a cop’s cop,” Polisena said. “He’s a bright and articulate man with a great demeanor who knows how to handle people. I’m not surprised he flew through the National Academy with high marks. He’s such a brilliant guy.”

Polisena then paused before adding: “I’m lucky – real lucky – to have him as my deputy chief.”

“We here at the JPD are very fortunate to have a deputy chief with the caliber of police officer as Dan Parrillo,” Tamburini said. “He enhances everything we do, our day-to-day operation. The fact that he’s been through the FBI National Academy – which is a professional leadership program – enhances his personal and professional development.”

Tamburini, who is closing in on a half-century of being a high-ranking law enforcement executive, added: “I want to offer my personal congratulations to Dan on becoming part of an elite 1 percent of police managers in the nation that quality for this distinguished program. It was my personal honor to recommend him for considering for enrollment in the National FBI Academy.”

Parrillo, who became the latest Johnston officer to gain selection to the FBI academy, said: “There was such a great collaboration of ideas there, and just to be chosen was absolutely incredible. I was honored to receive the best police training in the world. Very few people police offers in the country get to attend this extraordinary training.”

Former Deputy Chief David DeCesare – who is now heading the Rhode Island Sheriff’s Department – along with the late Deputy Chief Louis T. Zambarano, one-time Deputy Chief Gary Maddox and former Maj. Ralph Bubar also previously enjoyed the experience.

The FBI academy, though, is no vacation or a walk in the park like school.

Parrillo said it “included both rigorous and challenging physical and educational components. There were weekly physical training challenges, with the culmination being the infamous Yellow Brick Road challenge.”

And that, the deputy chief further explained, “consisted of a 6.1-mile run through a hilly, wooded trail designed by the Marines as one of their training courses, which includes climbing over walls, running through creeks, jumping through simulated windows, scaling rock faces with ropes, crawling under barbed wire in muddy water and maneuvering a 12-foot cargo net.”

The academic portion of the training included Parrillo taking five graduate-level courses, which covered such areas as leadership development, critical thinking, conflict resolution, intelligence theory, exploring the criminal mind and contemporary issues in law enforcement, which led to such topics as the shooting and riots in Ferguson, Mo., and body camera and drone technology.

Parrillo, meanwhile, said there are “some important lessons I took away from this experience such as building on your department’s strengths and identifying areas of weakness. It was an incredible and exceptional learning experience.”

The deputy chief also listed “putting people in the right places by utilizing their individual skills and talents, making every member part of the actual decision-making process and building a sustainable and trusting relationships with the community by having open lines of communication.”

Yet another example of just how prestigious the FBI academy is was that Parrillo was in a select class that included only 211 police leaders from 49 states, 23 countries along with Army, Marines and Air Force.

“One of the greatest tings about the academy was the friendships and relationships that began in Quantico and will continue to grow throughout my career,” Parrillo said. “My roommate was from a similar size department in Texas, and it was interesting to see that we are confronted with similar departmental issues and concerns whether you are in little Rhode Island or the great big state of Texas.”

Parrillo, who is also among the most respected law enforcement officers in the state, added: “This was the greatest training in my career, and for that I would like to thank the mayor and chief for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime and investing in me as a leader.”

Parrillo is a native Johnstonian. He’s a graduate of La Salle Academy, earned bachelor’s degrees at Providence College and Roger Williams University and is currently working on his master’s degree at Salve University in Newport.

He is married to Karen Saccoccio. The couple has one son, Mitchell, 13.