Friends -??
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I just finished a press conference introducing Ann Assumpico as the 13th Colonel of the Rhode Island State Police. From the moment I met her, I was immediately blown away. She has an infectious energy, optimism and determination.??
She’s a native Rhode Islander who has spent the last 40 years rising through the ranks of public safety and law enforcement. She started as a correctional officer at the ACI before joining the Coventry Police Department as a beat cop. She was one of Colonel Culhane’s first recruits to the State Police in 1992 and worked in every barracks in every part of the state before being promoted by Colonel Doherty to lead the division’s Planning, Research and Accreditation Unit. Colonel Steven O’Donnell promoted her three times, including a promotion in 2015 to the Rhode Island State Police Command Staff as a Captain. Drawing on her years as a part-time instructor, he placed her in charge of the Rhode Island State Police Training Academy and the Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy.
Her forty years of law enforcement experience is exceptional. She brings seasoned judgment to the position. But there is so much more to Ann.
She’s a world-class athlete. She has a fifth degree black belt in karate and has won 20 (yes, 20) World Champion Karate titles. She’s been inducted into 10 different martial arts Halls of Fame and has won 10 World Police and Fire Games gold medals for the Rhode Island State Police.
She’s an active member of the Rhode Island Highlanders Scottish Pipe Band and former adjunct professor at Salve Regina University. She’s the first – and still only – woman to work as a firearms instructor for the Rhode Island State Police.
And, one of my favorite stories about her shows the breadth and depth of her experience: While working at the ACI, she trained a young correctional officer named Steven O’Donnell in self-defense.??
I said early on that I would cast a wide net and look inside and outside Rhode Island for the next Colonel. I named Colonel Assumpico to the position because she cherishes the traditions and culture of the Rhode Island State Police, and has the necessary vision to strengthen the parts of the department which need more attention. Ann and I understand that diversity is an important part of leadership and we are both committed to building a State Police and a Command Staff that better reflects Rhode Island’s population.
I’m so excited that Ann is on the team. She has a great foundation to build upon and I am filled with hope and optimism about the future of one of Rhode Island’s most respected institutions.
-Gina