Wakefield Woman Leader In RI State Police

South Kingstown resident Capt. Karen Pinch, a 19-year veteran of the Rhode Island State Police, was promoted to the highest rank ever held by a female officer in the organization earlier this month.

Pinch became the first woman to hold a command-staff position and will be in charge of incorporating the state Sheriff’s Department - which she estimated employs more than 200 people - into the State Police domain. The department was reorganized under the State Police umbrella in July.

One of just a handful of women working in the paramilitary organization, Pinch said it wasn’t always easy to get ahead, but ambition, patience, and a willingness to take on any task helped her to succeed.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve really ever felt discrimination as a woman here, but since my days in the academy, I’ve always worked hard to prove myself,” said Pinch. When she entered the State Police Training Academy in 1992, she said weeks of training paid off and she did better on physical tests than many of the male trainees, which helped quiet any doubts she might have had about her abilities.

“I thought, I can do this,” Pinch added.

Her superior performance and dedication to personal physical fitness even earned her a leadership position at the Training Academy as a young trooper – a rarity for anyone in the State Police, especially a woman.

Her competiveness and perseverance helped her stand out among the highway patrol, where Pinch said troopers can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. She said she took on administrative jobs that other officers weren’t always too keen on handling, which broadened her skill sets and management abilities.

Her first move up was with the Division's Traffic Services Planning & Research Unit, a position that could be tedious, she said, but helped prove her dedication and earn her future promotions.

“Capt. Pinch is a very smart woman, she’s Brown [University]-education, which is unusual for State Police,” said Maj. James G. Pereira, who will oversee Pinch in her new position. “In her past position she worked with civilians and managed civilian staff, which will help her in her new position. We are a paramilitary organization and the Sheriff’s Department – not that they are civilians – but they are organized differently than we are. She’ll find the balance.”

Pinch received a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Organizational Behavior and Management and Psychology. She later earned a second bachelor’s degree from Roger Williams University in criminal justice.

Most recently, Pinch was the officer in charge of the Division's Technology and Communications Unit, where she dealt with civilian records issues, among other things.

“It wasn’t always my dream to work in the State Police,” said Pinch, reflecting on her career choice. “It was at a time when they happened to be actively recruiting for women to join, so I started training and I did.”

Although it might not have been in her childhood dreams, Pinch said the State Police have positively impacted her life – teaching her the importance of fitness and discipline.

Pinch, who lives in the Wakefield area of South Kingstown with her husband, Deputy Fire Chief Steve Pinch, and her son and daughter, said since joining the State Police she is a frequent runner in local road races. She has also won several awards in her age category at the Law Fit Trooper Challenge. She said another passion, fueled by her experiences as woman and mother, is her involvement as an instructor in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Standardized Child Passenger Safety Certification Course.

“I would tell any young girl that they can do all the same things as men, it’s all about training,” said Pinch. “The biggest thing for kids though is to stay out of trouble.”