State adds 47 new police officers
LINCOLN – After 20 exhausting weeks of push-ups, burpees, running, shooting practice and learning the law, 47 men and women have graduated from the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy.
Friday was a day to celebrate the officers, thank their families for their tireless support, and for Middletown Police Chief Anthony Pesare, a day to quote Winston Churchill.
Pesare, chair of the Police Officers Commission on Standards and Training, read the former British prime minister’s quote, “To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents.”
To Pesare, the 47 graduates before him have seen that special moment and they should embrace their choice, as people are rarely offered the chance to do that special thing that uniquely fits their talents.
The graduation was held mid-day on Friday at the Community College of Rhode Island, Flanagan Campus in Lincoln. The graduates are headed to 23 police departments across the state.
In the Blackstone Valley, that includes four in Pawtucket, three in Central Falls and three in North Smithfield.
Conor Debold, who is joining the East Providence Police Department, said the experience at the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy was one of “exhaustion, grind, sweat, strength, laughter [and] even a little bit of fun.”
The Class of 2017-I – there are two graduating classes every year – selected Debold as their class speaker. He spoke of how much he and his peers have changed and learned.
For him, that meant learning how to iron.
As the laughter at his proclamation of this newfound skill subsided, he turned serious, saying, “It represents attention to detail, it represents discipline and it represents the pride we take in the patches we are wearing on our shoulders today.”
Stressing that police must be adaptable to change and not simply do things a certain way just because that’s the way it’s always been done, Debold cited a lesson from the Training Academy: police officers are no longer warriors, but guardians.
“As guardians, we will look after the citizens of our cities and towns, and we will defend them from harm, and we will be the keepers of peace in our communities,” he said.
Along with encouragement for his fellow graduates, Debold also had some advice for their families: “You owe yourself a beer, or something.”
Speaking to The Call after the ceremony, graduate Boris Colindres, 26, said he has wanted to be a police officer since he was about 12 years old, and he’s looking forward to “making an impact one day at a time” in the Central Falls Police Department.
Colindres graduated from Roger Williams University with a degree in criminal justice and went on to work for the Key Program, a nonprofit that aids troubled youth and their families. He grew up in Central Falls and now lives in Pawtucket.
The other graduate joining the Central Falls Police Department is James McGrath, 28, an Iraq War veteran who served for four years with the U.S. Army. He is currently pursuing a degree in criminal justice from the Community College of Rhode Island.
Central Falls Police Chief Col. James Mendonca told the new officers they would soon see the best and worst humanity has to offer, which will evoke various emotional responses.
But according to a news release, he said at the swearing-in of the two officers on Friday afternoon, “There is nothing quite like the feeling when you have done something to make someone else’s life just a little bit better.”
In commending graduates for their hard work in the Training Academy and for their career choice, dignitaries and other law enforcement veterans often mention what a difficult time it is to be a police officer.
“The work of a police officer is demanding,” Governor Gina Raimondo said at the ceremony. “It’s demanding, it’s challenging and nowadays it’s more difficult than it’s ever been. We can’t sugarcoat that.”
She cited the role of police in the recent Manchester bombing and the role of first responders in the Station nightclub fire in 2003, to which a memorial park was dedicated last week.
“There really is no better way you can spend a life than in selfless service to others,” the governor said.
Rhode Island State Police Col. Ann Assumpico told the graduates to remember their uniforms, remember their badges and remember what they stand for. And she also advised them to remember each other, saying they will lean on their classmates – and that’s a good thing.