Charlestown Police Department
| Charlestown Police Department | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Charlestown, Rhode Island, United States |
| Size | 47 square miles (120 km2) |
| Population | 8,000 |
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| |
| Police Officers | 20 |
| Civilians | 5 |
| Agency executive |
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| Website | |
| charlestownpolice.org | |
The Charlestown Police Department (CPD) is a twenty four (24) hour municipal police agency serving the community of Charlestown, Rhode Island. The department's primary mission is the protection of life and property and the delivery of law enforcement service to the community of Charlestown through its adopted community policing model. The department has two divisions, the largest being the uniformed branch or Patrol Operations Division and the other being the administrative and detective branch or Criminal Investigations Division. The department is staffed by a force of twenty sworn police officers and five full-time civilian employees. Full-time staff is supplemented with seven part-time sworn special police officers, fourteen non-sworn traffic constables and several additional part-time administrative personnel.
The Charlestown Police Department is under the command of Colonel Michael J. Paliotta, Chief of Police.
Staff
- (1) Chief of Police
- (2) Lieutenants
- (4) Sergeants
- (2) Detectives
- (11) Patrolmen
- (4) Dispatchers
- (1) Administrative Assistant
History
The seasonal nature of the seaside community of Charlestown lends to its significant seasonal population fluctuations and increases in calls for service during the summer months. Local population increases range from a year-round resident population of 8,000 people to over 25,000 people on any given summer weekend. The geographical and jurisdictional boundaries of the Town of Charlestown include approximately six (6) miles of Atlantic coastline and beaches, extensive acreages in the National Wildlife Refuge system, the Trust Lands of the Narragansett Indian Tribe, several large State campgrounds including Burlingame State Park and Campground, Charlestown Breachway Campground and the East Beach Campground. The Charlestown and Quonochontaug Breachways link the areas two (2) salt ponds to the Atlantic Ocean for commercial fishing and recreational boating.
Between the early 1900s and the mid-1970s, Charlestown had no organized full-time police department and relied solely on a part-time Chief of Police and a few appointed constables. The Town's first Chief of Police was Chief Robert P. Day circa 1912. Since Chief Day, ten (10) others police executives have held the position including the current Chief of Police, Michael J. Paliotta.
Charlestown Police headquarters is located at 4901 Old Post Road in Charlestown, Rhode Island. It is in a state of the art facility adjacent to U.S. Route 1, directly across from Ninigret Park. The {14,000 square foot} building replaced the out-of-date facility at Town Hall in 2006.
Specialized units
The Charlestown Police Department also handles all emergency dispatch services for the Charlestown Fire Department and the Charlestown Ambulance and Rescue Service. The Charlestown Police Department encompasses several specialized units including the Charlestown Harbor Master and Charlestown Animal Control Officer, a local police explorer post and an honor guard. Officers of the department hold a variety of specialized training in ATV operations, mountain bike patrol, school resource officer (SRO), advanced accident investigation, evidence collection and processing, firearms instruction, use of force instruction and more. The department became a Rhode Island Police accreditation agency in 2017.