Page 5 - 2022 A Year in Review Final

License plate readers are an asset in preventing and solving crime. Since our plate

readers cameras came online in August of 2021, we have recovered 51 stolen vehicles
(resulting in 58 arrests), located seven missing and endangered persons, arrested 30
persons wanted on warrants, and arrested 14 persons for stolen property. The

cameras have directly assisted in solving notable crimes such as bank robberies,
drive-by shootings, carjackings, the apprehension of wanted sex offenders, sexual

assault suspects, and many others that pose a danger to the public.

In April 2022, we purchased two German Shepherds from a reputable kennel in
Pennsylvania that imports high-quality work dogs from Check Slovakia. K-9 Officers
Bagshaw and O'Donnell hand-picked their canine partners, named Ryken and Czar, to

replace their retired canines. Thanks to the assistance of K-9 master trainers from the
Adult Correctional Institution, our new K-9s, with their handlers, completed several

weeks of training. In August, they achieved national certification from the North
American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA) for narcotics and patrol. Sergeant

Bruno continues to handle K-9 Zeus. We are fortunate to have the premiere police
canine unit in the State.

Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of the department, our community
partners, and overall public support, we experienced historic lows in various crime

categories. Crimes against persons in 2022, compared to the previous year, were
reduced by 6%, and property crimes dropped by 13%. The numbers for both categories
are the lowest recorded since 2007. In 2022, we responded to 74,187 calls for service

(an increase of 2946 calls compared to 2021). Arrests for 2022 decreased by 110, with
1429 arrests. Crash investigations increased slightly this year from 2870 to 2933.

On behalf of the men and women of the Cranston Police Department, I want to thank

all the members of the public, including our elected public officials, for your
unwavering support. It is an honor to have served as your police chief for the past
eight years, and I look forward to working closely with you in the year ahead.

Respectfully,

Colonel Michael J. Winquist
Chief of Police

5
Cranston Police Department Year in Review 2022