Our Story

The Beginning 

An Overview of the History of the Cranston Police Department 

Cranston Police Officers – 1898 To understand how the Cranston police department has become the organization of dedicated professionals that it is today, it is necessary to go back to the year 1754 when Cranston was first incorporated as a town. In June of that year, the first town elections were held, and John Carpenter was elected to the position of Town Sergeant. In early America, the Town Sergeant’s job was to perform police duties and serve civil process for the town.

In its early days, Cranston was primarily an agricultural community with a population of just under 1500 people. With such a small populace, one might think there wouldn’t be any need for a lawman, but not so. This was a time when highwaymen still roamed the back roads and countryside preying on innocent travelers and settlers. Theft of livestock was common, and property disputes between abutting landowners often led to civil complaints.

In 1755, Isreal Gorton was elected Town Sergeant. Town records for that year show that a set of stocks used to punish criminals were built by Jonathan King behind Caleb Arnold’s house.

In 1756, Stukly Westcott became the next Town Sergeant. He in turn, appointed six constables to assist him. They were; Stephen Brown, William Robarts, Eliflet Yubbrock, Elisha Green Jr., John Knight Jr., and Thomas Williams Jr.. This was the first semblance of any type of police department for Rhode Island’s newest town.

Town elections were held every June. When checking early town meeting records, one can see that the names of the town sergeants and their constables changed frequently. The reasons for this are unclear at this point in time. Being a Town Sergeant was not a full-time paid position. The duties were carried out in addition to ones “regular” occupation such as farming or running a small business.

There are no records to indicate that the men who held the office of Town Sergeant or the constables who served under them received any compensation, but it is assumed that they were paid by fees collected for serving process and executing arrest warrants.

Even though it would seem that the frequent turnover of Town Sergeants offered little stability, the system apparently worked, for it was used for more than one-hundred years.