November 7, 2009
Chief of Police Thomas M. Harrington passed away on November 7, 2009 at the age of 74. As a sergeant he served as the department’s first Prosecution Division supervisor, and as a lieutenant he volunteered in Cranston public schools speaking with students on the role of the police in the criminal justice system. As a captain he spearheaded a program to institute a new computer report-dictation system that allowed officers to call in reports from the road. This system was the first of its kind in Rhode Island. Chief Harrington served the citizens of Cranston for 30 years before retiring in 1986. He then went on to serve as administrator of the Department of Motor Vehicles for 15 years before retiring again in 2000.
Rest in peace.