Getting the job done

By JOHN HOWELL
Posted 12/18/18

By JOHN HOWELL Even after deciding it was time to retire, having served as Warwick Police Chief for more than 18 years, Col. Stephen McCartney couldn't slow down. On Saturday he was in his office to clean up his desk, in his words. But naturally, he ran

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Getting the job done

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Even after deciding it was time to retire, having served as Warwick Police Chief for more than 18 years, Col. Stephen McCartney couldn’t slow down. On Saturday he was in his office to clean up his desk, in his words. But naturally, he ran a check on calls to the department since last being in.

Staying on top of the beat of Warwick is part of his DNA. He’s done it for years, even after sustaining heart attacks on separate occasions. In both instances, he wasn’t away from the job for more than a week.

McCartney sets a rugged pace that will be tough for anyone to follow when he leaves the office this Friday. Deputy Chief Brad Connor will step in as acting chief until Mayor Joseph Solomon and the Board of Public Safety names his successor.

McCartney’s day typically starts at Planet Fitness at Rhode Island Mall. He gets into the office by 6:45 a.m., which gives him the time to go over the calls from the night before and prepare for the morning’s daily staff meeting.

“I’ve always kind of pushed myself,” said McCartney in an interview Monday. That’s an understatement.

Such routine and consistency is a trademark of his tenure of chief of a 168-member department that during the winter months receives on average 250 calls daily. In the summer the numbers increase to 270 to 300 calls.

“By far and large,” McCartney said, “this is a public service police department. I’ve found that more and more we will go to people and talk to them about any problem that they have. Most of the time, the problem has a lot to do with things that aren’t criminal in nature.”

He estimates that only one out of eight calls relate directly to a crime. More frequently, officers are dealing with quality of life and peace issues as well as traffic. Issues encountered are domestic disputes, neighborhood complaints over traffic and abuse of opioids. McCartney identifies mental health issues as having a far greater impact than what he originally estimated to be 5 to 10 percent of calls, although pinning down a number would be difficult.  He finds that Maureen Gouveia, the department’s mental health liaison who works in-house through a collaboration with the Providence Center, to be one of the busiest members of the department.

McCartney’s adherence to protocol, “getting the job done” and building lasting relationships was just what the department needed when named to the post in 1999 by former mayor Lincoln Chafee.

He came to Warwick from the Providence Police Department, where he had served for 26 years. In a release issued by the mayor’s office Friday, McCartney’s direction of Providence’s first mounted unit, role as director of training commanding officer of the Neighborhood Response Unit, and an 11-year stint with the investigative division – rising to the rank of captain and commanding officer – were identified as his “significant assignments.”

When he left Providence, McCartney said the department averaged 23.5 homicides and 150 shootings a year. By comparison, McCartney notes that Warwick will go without a homicide for years.

He was in for a different challenge when he came to Warwick.

As McCartney put it, “The department was wracked with personnel issues.” Police officer Jeffrey Hornoff, later cleared when another man confessed to the crime, was in prison for killing his lover. Personnel were divided on the handling of the case and distrust was rampant. Publicly, the image of the department was at a low.

McCartney said he worked long hours getting to know those on each of the department’s three shifts and building relationships with union leaders. He set up daily staff meetings, which he said are short but provided him the opportunity to get his points across.

“My sense when I first got here was that this was a good, operationally sound police department, but it seemed to be racked with all kinds of personnel problems,” he said. “So, I had to spend a lot of time trying to divine my way through that.”

He said it was a year and a half before things turned around enough for him to slow down. He credits Mark Titus, who former mayor Scott Avedisian named deputy chief on his recommendation, as playing a critical role in transforming the department.

“I was lucky to be working with people like that,” McCartney said.

McCartney holds himself to a strict physical regimen. He gave up running at the age of 68 when his knees gave him problems but still works out daily. That is likely what saved his life on more than one occasion.

He first became aware of heart problems while working out on the department’s “rickety” treadmill at the end of the workday close to his 10-year anniversary with the department. As he recalls, “I had this strange feeling.” He drove himself to Kent Hospital, where they quickly diagnosed he had a heart blockage and rushed him to Rhode Island Hospital, where the condition was treated with drugs.

“I convinced my doctor that I would behave myself, and he let me come back to work,” he said, recalling the first episode. “Everybody was stunned when they saw me in here. I said, ‘That’s okay, just as long as you guys don’t get me upset, everything will be fine,’ sort of in a joking fashion.”

Then, nine months later in June 2009, after another workout, he experienced the feeling again. This time the blockage – blocking about 95 percent of one of his major arteries – was opened with the insertion of stents. In both instances, McCartney said department personnel were surprised to find him back at work within a week.

Asked how he got into police work, McCartney turns back the clock to his teens and his “strong-headed Irish mother” who refused to let him enlist, fearing she might lose him. She told him he was bound to go to college.

“It was her way or the highway, and that was the way it was going to be,” he said.

McCartney attended Providence College, striking a deal with his mother that, if he completed all four years, he could join the U.S. Marine Corps. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in 1969 and spent 22 years in the infantry, first serving as platoon commander with the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam (1970-71) and during his career held every infantry position from the platoon up to the regimental level. While serving in the Marine Corps Reserve, he was Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, who were operationally assigned to the 1st Marine Division and participated in combat operations against Iraqi forces in Saudi Arabia/Kuwait in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-1991. He retired from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve with the rank of colonel after a 30-year military career.

McCartney said that retirement from the police department had been in the back of his mind but not until he had a discussion with Mayor Solomon had he taken the time to “go through the numbers.”  After a week’s consideration, he said, he saw no reason not to “move the timeline up…whatever he has in mind is best for the city.”

Since the announcement, McCartney said the emails and calls have poured in. He said he is humbled by the appreciation and kind words.

“I tried to respond to everybody and it was just unbelievable,” he said. “A lot of old friends, a lot of people I worked with on the Police Chiefs Association, constituents out here I’ve come into contact with – it’s really quite gratifying to think that people would think enough about you to wish you well.”

In a statement, Mayor Solomon said, “Colonel McCartney has had a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, both in Warwick and in the City of Providence, and served our country well and honorably as a United States Marine. In his nearly 20-year career in our community, Colonel McCartney has ensured that the men and women of our department are some of the most well-respected and well-trained officers in the region, if not the country. Under his leadership, our department has earned a reputation for professionalism, dedication and excellence that is unmatched. I know the residents and our business community join me in thanking Colonel McCartney for his service to Warwick and wish him well as he enjoys a well-earned retirement.”

Former mayor Avedisian said this in an email: “I always knew that we were in good shape with him at the helm. For 18 and a half years, we worked together on so many different issues and I have nothing but praise for the Colonel. There is no finer gentleman than Colonel McCartney and I hope that our paths will continue to cross.”

Throughout his tenure, the Warwick Police Department continually earned prestigious CALEA re-accreditation. Earlier this month, WalletHub named Warwick the nation’s fifth safest community, and the study noted that the city ranked fifth for the lowest assaults per capita. Last year, the city ranked third safest city in the country by the same assessment. However, when the city police do have to respond to violent or serious crimes, McCartney said he has never been concerned.

“When we were dealing with straight leg police work, I always felt good about it,” he said. “Even if I was going to a hostage situation or a situation where we had someone barricaded, I felt good because this department has the protocol down so well – the men and women do such a phenomenal job.”

The release issued by the city noted that McCartney has been recognized for outstanding achievement by the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney, Rhode Island Office of Attorney General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

His honors include the 2009 Public Service Award from the Rhode Island Branch of the American Society for Industrial Security Professionals, the prestigious Neil J. Houston, Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence in Criminal Justice, and the 2010 Kent County Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award 2010. In 2012, he was inducted into the Rhode Island Criminal Justice Hall of Fame.

McCartney has served as the president of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association in 2008 and Chairman of the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission for the last six years and the Law Enforcement Planning Commission for the last 12 years. He served on the Risk Management Committee of the Rhode Island Interlocal Trust for 17 years.

McCartney has also long been involved in the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, Warwick Rotary Club, the Rhode Island Police Officers Emerald Society, the Kent County branch of Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Providence Retired Police and Fire Association, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #3, the Elmwood American Legion, Marine Corps Association, 1st Marine Division Association, Vietnam Veterans of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, and the Rhode Island Society of Veterans of Foreign Wars. He also serves on the board of directors for Bridgemark and Whitmarsh House.

As for slowing down, McCartney said his wife and daughters would ensure that that is what he’ll do.

“I’ll work it out,” he said, indicating he’d be looking forward to volunteer opportunities but also a chance to reconnect with family. “I’m sure it will be a little challenging, but I’ll make it work.”

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  • richardcorrente

    Always a sincere smile.

    Always a warm handshake.

    Always a fair attitude.

    Always respectful to everyone.

    Warwick could not have had a better Police Chief.

    Wednesday, December 19, 2018 Report this