Warwick Police Chief McCartney to Retire
Friday, December 14, 2018
Wawrick Police Chief Stephen McCartney announced his retirement on Friday.
“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,” Solomon said. “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.”
“I want to thank Mayor Solomon for the honor of allowing me to assist him in the transition stage of his administration and I wish him the best of luck now as the elected voice of the people of Warwick as he prepares his to kick off his first term,” McCartney said.
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McCartney's Bio
McCartney was named as Warwick’s top law enforcement official in 1999. Prior to that, he served the Providence Police Department with honor and distinction for nearly 26 years, working in all three major divisions of that department. His most significant assignments in Providence included serving as director of the city’s first mounted unit, 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. When he was appointed to Major, in command of the entire department, he was responsible for well over 150 investigations, including leading the department’s involvement in the Operation Checkmate investigation against the Latin Kings street gang.
McCartney retired from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve with the rank of colonel after a 30-year military career. 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, 25thMarines, 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.
In the late 1997 and 1998, now promoted to Colonel USMCR, McCartney volunteered for assignment as an adjunct faculty member of the Naval Justice School and served two tours of duty in Rwanda, Africa, assisting the U.S. Embassy and the Rwandan government. In this capacity, he directed and guided law enforcement authorities as they undertook the daunting and enormous job prosecuting genocide war crimes.
During his 30 year career with the Marine Corps, McCartney was the recipient of numerous personal decorations and unit/campaign decorations mainly for his Vietnam tour of duty and his service in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm with the 1st Marine Division. He was the recipient of the Navy-Marine Corps medal for heroism, Navy Commendation & Achievement Medals, and the Combat Action Ribbon (2 gold stars). In 1999 upon his retirement from the Marine Corps, he was awarded the Rhode Island Star by the state of Rhode Island for his honorable service to the country.
In Warwick, McCartney has been known as leader with strong budgetary oversight, whose department often, especially during the recession, still ran effectively with fewer officers and financial resources. This was accomplished in large part because of McCartney’s ability to reorganize and redeploy personnel and utilize his budget in the most cost-effective way, Solomon said. Under his leadership, OJI were also significantly reduced.
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 in the nation and noted that the City ranked fifth for the lowest assaults per capita. WalletHub’s rankings were based on 39 metrics, including 17 in the home and community safety area. Those included assessments in 17 categories, including the presence of terrorist attacks, murders and manslaughters, forcible rapes, thefts, assaults, sex offenders, public safety employees and hate crimes per capita.
McCartney’s distinguished career includes numerous commendations for outstanding police work. He 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 Chief’s Association in 2008 and Chairman of the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission for the last 6 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.
