Assumpico is the "Right Choice," AG Says

COVENTRY, RI – Gov. Gina Raimondo has announced her pick for superintendent of state police is police Capt. Ann Assumpico. Assumpico is also a former Coventry police officer. She would be the first woman to lead the state police.

Raimondo introduced Col. Assumpico at an 11:30 a.m. press conference today in the State Room. Assumpico's predecessors, Steven M. Paré, Brendan Doherty and Steven O'Donnell, were scheduled to attend.

"I said early on that I would cast a wide net and look inside and outside Rhode Island for the next Colonel, "Raimondo said. "I named Colonel Assumpico to the position because she cherishes the traditions and culture of the Rhode Island State Police, and has the necessary vision to strengthen the parts of the department which need more attention. Ann and I understand that diversity is an important part of leadership and we are both committed to building a State Police and a Command Staff that better reflects Rhode Island's population."

Plus, she continued,"Colonel Assumpico embodies the best of Rhode Island. She's a 'trooper's trooper' and will build on the rich tradition of the Rhode Island State Police," said Raimondo. "Ann has spent nearly 40 years in law enforcement and has come up through the ranks. Before joining the State Police, she worked nights as a correctional officer, she was a patrol officer in Coventry, and served in every barracks and nearly every corner of the state. Her work ethic and determination will provide a powerful reminder to every Rhode Islander that anyone who works hard and never gives up can achieve great things."

Raimondo said she was "blown away" the first time she met Assumpico.

Assumpico said she was "honored and humbled."

According to the press release, she joined the Rhode Island State Police in 1992 as one of Colonel Edmund Culhane's first recruits and served as a member of the uniformed division for more than 15 years, working in each barracks. She was promoted to Corporal by Colonel Brendan Doherty and worked in the Planning, Research and Accreditation Unit. Colonel Steven O'Donnell promoted her three times, including a promotion in 2015 to the Rhode Island State Police Command Staff as a Captain. In that role, she oversees the Rhode Island State Police Training Academy and the Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy, drawing on her years of experience as a part-time instructor at the Training Academy. She has trained hundreds of young men and women in Rhode Island at the Department of Corrections and in the Rhode Island State Police in both self-defense and firearms.

"Colonel Assumpico is a proud and strong leader who comes from the ranks of the Rhode Island State Police. She has a wealth of experience and knowledge that she gained throughout her four decades in law enforcement, which includes time working in corrections, with local police and as a member of the Rhode Island State Police," said retired Rhode Island State Police Superintendent Colonel Steven O'Donnell. "I look forward to assisting her in any way that I can as she takes the reigns of the State Police."

Assumpico has won ten World Police and Fire Games Gold medals in multiple sports and has won 20 World Champion Karate titles. She is a fifth degree black belt.

She will technically serve as 'acting Colonel' until her official swearing in ceremony later this year.

In a statement this morning, Atty. Gen. Peter Kilmartin congratulated Assumpico and said she "has served with distinction and honor throughout her nearly 40-year career in law enforcement, first as a correctional officer, then as an officer with the Coventry Police Department, and most recently the last 24 years with the Rhode Island State Police."

Kilmartin continued to say, "her experience will serve her well as she takes command of the State Police and carries on the long tradition of individuals who have made the State Police one of the most respected and finest law enforcement agencies in the country."

On the fact she will be the first woman superintendent he added, "while this is a historic moment for the State Police and law enforcement in Rhode Island as Colonel Assumpico is the first woman to lead any police agency in the State, it is her leadership skills for which I believe her appointment is a great choice and the right choice."

Courtesy Photo