FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2022
CONTACT INFO. :
Office of the Mayor
Patricia Resende
(401) 529-3207
East Providence Police to increase manning by 11; Sends 9 to academy
EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – The East Providence Police Department will increase its manning by 11 with nine new recruits who have joined the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy and two new laterals from other agencies.
“In recent years, recruiting and hiring police officers has become more and more challenging both nationally and locally,” Chief Christopher Francesconi said. “Our police department has adopted a philosophy that hiring and recruiting is a constant effort in which all of our officers participate.”
The move comes after an aggressive and successful recruiting process which included the online application PoliceApp, video testimonials from existing officers, the use of social media, advertisements in local media outlets, hosting an open house to answer applicant and family members’ questions, including East Providence’s Affirmative Action Office in the process and out-of-the-box approaches to the process.
In addition, once applicants are vetted, the East Providence Police Planning & Training Division provides officer candidates with training and other resources for success prior to attending the police academy including:
- Six weeks of swim training at PODS Swimming in East Providence (PODS works with officer candidates on the swim standards administered at the Academy for entry swim test)
- Six weeks of general fitness training at 212 Health & Performance in East Providence (212 Health identifies any challenges individual officer candidates may have and addresses those physical fitness needs with a program that the candidate follows)
- Offering recruits the opportunity to work at the police station prior to attending the police academy to become familiar with and have a better understanding of the police department
The EPPD has also included changes in its recruiting and hiring process including:
- Having the East Providence Planning and Training Division stay in touch with the candidates during the hiring process.
- Streamlining the hiring process by identifying and eliminating inefficiencies
- Adding East Providence Affirmative Action Officer and Vice President of the local chapter of the Rhode Island NAACP Elmer Pina to the oral board.
“The goal and role of the Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Office is to continuously diversify our workforce for the City of East Providence particularly in public safety,” Affirmative Action and EEO Officer Elmer Pina said. “In this most recent recruitment process, the City was able to modify the requirements in an effort to widen the pool of applicants, my office was responsible in getting the word out through civic organizations, gyms, barbershops, hair salons, colleges and universities”
“Thanks to the collaboration between our East Providence Police Department, Human Resources Department and our Affirmative Action Office, who ran an efficient and creative recruiting and hiring process, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to increase our police manning in a way that promotes equality, diversity and inclusion - an effort that will continue under my administration,” Mayor Roberto DaSilva said.
Recruits and Laterals:
- Cesar Alarcon - Cumberland, RI (Lateral)
- Michael Allienello Jr. - East Providence, RI
- Kyle Carvalho - Lincoln, RI
- Kristopher Correia - East Providence, RI (Lateral)
- Matthew Coughlin - Warwick, RI
- Nicholas Crowe - Cumberland, RI
- John Pena - Providence, RI
- Ryan Teixeira - North Kingstown, RI
- Charles Swenson - Rehoboth, MA
- Drew Wood - Lincoln, RI
- Bryan Yepes - North Providence, RI
“I am confident that we have laid the foundation for these recruits to thrive in the police academy and become successful East Providence police officers,” Francesconi added.
