Welcome to the on-line home of the Richmond Police Department. To our Richmond residents, business owners, visitors, and the surrounding Chariho community, it is an honor for us to serve your law enforcement needs.
I was sworn in as police chief on September 1st, 2010, after serving 24 years with the Rhode Island State Police. It is a distinct privilege and honor for me to serve as chief here in Richmond because I grew up in Hope Valley, spent
countless childhood hours in Richmond, and graduated from Chariho High School. I have witnessed many reasons to be proud of the police officers and civilian staff here in Richmond. Beyond their diligent work ethic and voluminous accomplishments, I have been impressed with the way they conduct
themselves in carrying out their duties. The public deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of the nature of the law enforcement interaction. In 2018, our department handled more than 13,000 calls for service, and
our officers made over 300 arrests. Among those calls for service, our officers intervened at the scene of domestic disputes and removed an aggressor who posed a danger to his/her family; stopped drunk drivers and removed them from the
road before they injured themselves or someone else; handled mediations between juveniles in our school system; recovered and returned stolen property to its rightful owners; solved open crimes in Richmond and beyond; and calmed distraught
accident victims as they handled their reporting responsibilities. Ironically, those are just a few examples of the many tasks our department handles on a routine basis, not including an average of 75 calls handled by our Animal Control
Division each month, and the voluntary charitable work our officers do in the community.
Thank you,
Elwood M. Johnson, Jr.
Chief of Police
