Page 4 - 2022 A Year in Review Final

On behalf of the men and women of the Cranston Police Department, I wish you and
your families and happy, safe, and prosperous New Year!

There were many accomplishments achieved by our department in 2022. We
continued to invest in our relationships in our community and provided Officers with

the latest technology to carry out their duties.

The recently expanded Community Outreach and Special Projects Division organized

several successful events to connect with the citizens we serve. Some events include a
5K road race in Garden City, a Spring Festival and Fall Festival in Chapel View, and a

Children's Holiday party at the Historic Park Theater. Money that was raised was
donated to various charities such as Special Olympics RI and local non-profit
organizations to benefit many of our citizens in need during financially challenging

times.

Officers routinely responded to mental health-related calls in 2022, which increased
due to COVID. Many people were confined to their homes, leading to a feeling of

isolation and, in some instances, despair. Over the past few years, we provided all
Officers with training to recognize the signs and symptoms of individuals with mental

illness and mental health crises. We coupled this training with de-escalation tactics to
enhance the safety of the public and first-line Officers. Lastly, we formed a Crisis

Intervention Team that is comprised of specially trained Officers, mental health
clinicians, and social service providers. Members of this team have responded to
hundreds of calls to provide mental health treatment services and other resources to

assist with housing and other financial challenges, with the majority accepting these
services. The repetitive mental health calls at specific addresses decreased, allowing

officers to focus on other patrol functions. I want to publicly thank Mayor Hopkins for
investing Community Block Grant Funds to initiate the program and Senator Sheldon
Whitehouse for providing our department with $500,000 in Federal grant funds to

continue and expand the program, which will undoubtedly assist many residents in
the year to come.

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Cranston Police Department Year in Review 2022