East Providence Police Chief Joseph Tavares Resigns

Submitted by Chief Joseph Tavares

Today I announced to the fine men and Women of the East Providence Police Department my resignation as their Chief of Police, effective July 1, 2014. | thanked them all, both sworn and civilian employees for their hard work and dedication to duty during our time together.

These men and women are truly a special group of dedicated and talented  professionals. lt has truly been an honor and a pleasure to serve as Chief of Police for the City of East Providence, the City l was raised in and have always loved. 

For the past 35 years l have had the honor and the privilege of serving as a police officer and as a public servant. My love for this noble profession cannot be described in one or two pages of a press release. So much of who | am today is the result of my many experiences as a police officer and the numerous opportunities an enforcement has given to me. 

The first 30 years of my law enforcement career were spent as a Warwick Police 
Officer. Following my retirement from the Warwick Police Department in 2009 l was soon hired as Chief of Police for the City of East Providence. For the past nearly five years | have had the honor and privilege of serving the good people of East Providence. 

This has not been an easy job, but then again I have never been interested in taking on the easy jobs. When I was first hired as Chief of Police in 2009, the East Providence Police Department was facing layoffs, a reduction in personnel, along with severe budget cuts. As l prepare my exit l am happy to report the East Providence Police Department is once again growing in membership and is on its way to becoming an accredited police department.

We have been able to deliver an unprecedented level of training and career development to those who embraced the opportunities. Thanks to the hard work of our dedicated team members, the East Providence Police Department has, during these past several years been the recipient of major Federal Asset Forfeiture Awards, that have allowed us to replace our entire fleet of vehicles, computers and purchase other technologies that others could only wish for. We were also able to acquire additional equipment and complete other projects with the acquisition of a number of grants and by participating in míiitary surplus property programs and other opportunities. I am proud of the improvements to our entire communications system which included transitioning to the 800 MHZ radio system, renovating the dispatch center and bringing RIEMA supported 
infrastructure to East Providence. 

More important than equipment and property, however are the people of this Police Department and the people of this fine community. l am most proud of the partnerships and trust we have built over these years with our community partnerships in combating core issues associated with the illegal drugs, traffic safety, the youth, domestic and elderly related crimes. 

East Providence remains a safe city. I am proud of the many new programs and events we were able to promote here in East Providence during my tenure, such as the National Night Out annual celebration, that continues to grow each summer, the annual Police/Community Blood Drive and the Re-entry program, to name a few. l have enjoyed an open and honest relationship with the media, who continue to be an important element in any free and just society. 

I have enjoyed meeting and listening to so many ofthe good hardworking people and business owners of the City of East Providence. l have taken great pride in being a Police Chief that the people could always trust to do the right thing. Honesty and Integrity has always been my guiding light. 

It truly has heen an honor to serve you all. l wish you all the best.