Ptl. William H. Stone

     Patrolman William H. Stone, (85), passed away at his daughter’s home on March 30, 1930.  He was born in Cranston in 1845, and appointed a police constable in 1885, and served as a police officer for more than 30 years.   When the city established its first full-time police department in 1910, Officer Stone was one of the original ten patrolmen.  It was also in 1910 that he had the distinction of being the first police officer in Rhode Island, and perhaps New England, to utilize an automobile for police patrol duties.   Besides his daughter, he was survived by a son, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.  He’s buried in Pocassett Cemetery  on Dyer Ave. 

Rest in peace

Ptl. Henry R. Johnson       

      Patrolman Henry R. Johnson, “Mike” to his friends and family, was appointed to the CPD in the 1920s and served as a motorcycle officer in the Edgewood area.  On the night of August 12, 1930, he was shot while questioning a suspicious man who’d appeared from between two vacant houses on Arnold Ave.  He was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Providence where he died two days later at the age of 32. His assailant was captured and died in prison in 1952.  Patrolman Johnson had survived another shooting in 1928 when he surprised two men robbing a private home.  

     He was survived by his wife and young son, and is buried in the Pocasset Cemetery in Cranston. 

     Rest in peace. 

Ptl. Henry R. Johnson – 1929

Cranston News
August 15, 1930

Chief James E. Cuff

     Chief of Police James Edward Cuff was appointed chief of police on January 4, 1911.  He served until January 20, 1912, and was later re-appointed chief in 1915.  He then served for fourteen more years until retiring in 1929.  He is the only Cranston chief of police to serve twice.   

     He passed away on February 19, 1931, and is buried in St. Ann’s Cemetery. 

     Rest in peace.  

Ptl. John A. Yeaw
in 1898

     Patrolman John Asa Yeaw was appointed a police constable in 1888.  When Cranston incorporated as a city in June of 1910 he was one of the first ten full-time patrolmen appointed to the force.  He passed away at the age of 73 on September 5, 1931, and is buried in the Pocasset Cemetery.

     Rest in peace.

Sergeant William Cooney

     Sergeant William Cooney, passed away on December 19, 1939.  He joined the police department in 1914, and was promoted to sergeant in 1927.  He was well known for his wit and sense of humor.  In the spring of 1925, a local newspaper held “The Most Popular Cop Contest”, and Cooney won. 

     He was survived by his sister, and a son.  He’s buried in St. Ann’s Cemetery. 

     Rest in peace.