When I sat down with Johnston Police Chief Joseph P. Razza, I had no idea that the person in front of me had such a remarkable – and unique – journey to becoming the town’s chief law enforcement officer.
Chief Razza, who leads Johnston’s decorated Police Department, also serves as emergency management director at a time when, according to the chief, “there’s a lot on the plate. There is so much going on that there is not a day that goes by that I don’t work at least nine hours and say to myself ‘where does the time go!”
Thankfully, he knew the challenges and intricacies of the office, having served as deputy chief to his friend and mentor, former Chief Richard Tamburini.
“The transition hasn’t been difficult,” he said, “though there’s a lot going on because of COVID-19, and because of civil unrest in our state and nation.”
A lifelong resident of Johnston, his late father, Pasco, was a meat cutter at local markets and also ran “Big Ray’s” Farmers Market, and his mom, Joan (Venditto), was a homemaker who also pitched in at Big Ray’s.
He and sister Karen had a typical Rhode Island upbringing, doing all the things kids do in our great state.
He attended Johnston Public Schools, and attended the University of Rhode Island for a year, transferring to CCRI and eventually graduating from Roger Williams University, where he received a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and an associate degree in business administration.
During his academic career Chief Razza also launched his business career, selling fruit and vegetables door-to-door from his truck on weekends.
This entrepreneurial spirit was not unusual for the Razza family – he took over his great grandfather’s business, servicing its customers on primarily North Main Street and Blackstone Boulevard in Providence, and quickly expanded the business to service 80 to 100 customers on his weekly route throughout Cranston, Coventry, West Warwick and Narragansett.
As if school and the fruit and vegetable route was not enough, he also worked part-time with his dad at the market. The chief said “these were some of the best times of my life. I got to meet many people and made friendships that last to this day.”
Obviously not afraid to work hard, he received his law enforcement degree and decided to pursue a career in policing. He said, “my parents taught me at a very early age that if you wanted to succeed in life, it required determination and hard work because nothing in life was unattainable.”
The path to being a sworn officer wasn’t easy, according to the chief.
“I applied and applied [to various cities and towns] and always came up short.”
So, he took a position in a private security company and would not be deterred. He kept applying.
His tenacity paid off. He was finally awarded a position as a “Juvenile Program Worker” at the Rhode Island Training School.
In 1995, about six months into the job, he learned that he had been selected for a position at the Jamestown Police Department.
He attended the Police Training Academy and would become a sworn officer later that year.
He would work in Jamestown for about three years when some of his basketball buddies (the Chief is quite an athlete – having been inducted in Johnston High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame) told him that there was a position opening in the Johnston Police Department and urged him to apply. He said “I hesitantly left the picturesque shores of Jamestown for the ever-flowing traffic on Atwood Avenue. Although my time in Jamestown was brief, I truly enjoyed the community and its people.”
Even though he was now a veteran officer, rules required him to take a position as a “probationary officer” in Johnston.
The chief said, “I ended up on the midnight-to-eight shift, which was fine with me.”
After six years, he was promoted to sergeant, a position he was very fond of because “it is where the rubber hits the road.” He continued, “being a sergeant was the greatest thing. There is not a more important position in a police department than a frontline supervisor – the sergeant.”
He rose through the ranks, and ultimately became deputy chief in 2017.
On Aug. 31, 2020, Mayor Joseph Polisena recited the oath of office, his wife Mandi “pinned” the badge and he became the eighth chief of the department.
The chief told me that he was “truly honored and humbled” that Mayor Polisena had “the faith and confidence in me” to be the successor to Chief Tamburini.
Quite remarkable to think that in the 100-plus-year history of the Police Department in Johnston, there have only been eight police chiefs.
Chief Razza said it eloquently in his inaugural speech: “A lot of people, especially the devoted men and women who make up the Johnston Police are going to wonder what kind of chief I will be, and what I will be asking of them. I will tell them that integrity has been and always will be my mantra, as I will continue to lead with dedication, devotion and honor to the people of this truly great town, and I will expect the same from them.”
He has support from outside the town as well.
Providence Deputy Police Chief Tom Verdi said it this way: “I’ve known Chief Razza for over two decades. He is a leader of great integrity, the consummate professional. Joe cares deeply about his officers and citizens of Johnston.”
Chief Razza lights up when he talks about the men and women of the Johnston Police Department, a department that has both state and national accreditation, not an easy task.
He remarked, “the accreditations show that you have the correct policies and procedures in place, and that you are doing everything by the book. The public should be assured that not only are we doing police work the right way, but that we also have a level of transparency and professionalism that should be reassuring.”
He gave a great deal of credit to former Chief Tamburini for “setting the high bar.”
It’s pretty easy to see that Chief Razza will have a successful tenure as Johnston’s eighth police chief.
The kid from Johnston that went door-to-door selling fruit and vegetables and worked at his dad’s market while attending classes certainly has a unique work ethic.
And, as is the case in many Rhode Island families, there is a subplot to his pathway to the chief’s office.
His grandfather, Joseph Razza, was a highly respected (and colorful) detective lieutenant in the West Warwick Police Department.
I’m sure he’s looking down and smiling proudly.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here