For the second time in the past decade, Brown's chief of police will resign and migrate to the Carolinas. Col. Paul Verrecchia, who has served as director of Public Safety since January 1997, recently accepted a position as chief of police at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.
"I like the quality of living down there," Verrecchia told The Herald. "My wife and I have traveled to the Carolinas and we just like it there."
Verecchia will continue to serve at Brown until Dec. 31, when Capt. Emil Fioravanti will take over as interim chief. The Department of Public Safety has already set up a search committee to find a replacement, with résumé reviews scheduled for December and interviews expected to begin in January.
When Verecchia served on the accreditation committee for the Medical University of South Carolina several years ago, he made the decision to eventually relocate. The chief of police position opened there last year, but Verrecchia decided not to apply for the job on account of the high level of DPS activity.
Verrecchia, a 21-year veteran of the Providence Police Department and lifetime Providence resident, succeeded former police chief Dennis Boucher, who left Brown to move to North Carolina. When the position at the College of Charleston opened up last spring, Verrecchia said he quickly decided to apply.
"I want to eventually retire in South Carolina," he said. "After discussing it with my wife, I decided that it was an opportunity that I didn't want to let pass."
However, Verrecchia, 55, does not intend to retire for at least another eight years. He said his new position will entail even more responsibilities than his job at DPS. He will now oversee fire safety and EMS in addition to organizing patrols for the College of Charleston's campus, which is larger than Brown's.
While DPS is currently in the midst of a lengthy and rigorous arming procedure, Verrecchia said his imminent departure will have no negative effect on protocol and efficiency.
"The department will stay on track with all the projects we have going," he said. "Captain Fioravanti is extremely capable, and I have every confidence in his ability to keep the department on track."
Lts. Henry Lombardi and Kevin Andrews will jointly assume Fioravanti's current duties.
Vice President for Administration Walter Hunter said he is confident that DPS will not be deterred by Verrecchia's departure. "The arming process will continue as planned," Hunter said. "We've got a really good plan that's been put in place, and we'll continue to move along."
Even though Verrecchia has decided to resign, he said he will miss Brown. "The officers here are among the most professional and most qualified that I have worked with in my entire career in law enforcement," he said. "I'll miss staff and faculty, and I'm genuinely going to miss the students."
