Veteran police captain will serve as next chief in Barrington

Capt. Dino DeCrescenzo will replace Chief John LaCross

Posted 1/8/19

Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha has named Captain Dino DeCrescenzo as the town’s next police chief. Capt. DeCrescenzo, a 33-year veteran of the department, will begin serving in that position …

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Veteran police captain will serve as next chief in Barrington

Capt. Dino DeCrescenzo will replace Chief John LaCross

Posted

Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha has named Captain Dino DeCrescenzo as the town’s next police chief. Capt. DeCrescenzo, a 33-year veteran of the department, will begin serving in that position when Chief John LaCross begins his retirement on Feb. 8.

Mr. Cunha sent an email to town employees on Tuesday morning, Jan. 8, announcing the selection of the next police chief: “Dino has all the requisite professional skills, leadership qualities and dedication to successfully lead the Barrington Police Department. I thank Dino for his willingness to serve and look forward to BPD’s future successes and continued exemplary service to the citizens of Barrington.”

Capt. DeCrescenzo began working with the Barrington Police Department in 1986 as a patrolman. The valedictorian of his graduating class at the police academy, he served five years as a patrolman before being promoted to sergeant. 

Capt. DeCrescenzo climbed through the ranks of the department over the years — he was a patrol sergeant through 2002, when he was named detective sergeant, and in 2005 he was promoted to detective lieutenant. He remained detective lieutenant until 2016, when he was named captain.

“Dino has served our citizens with distinction over the past 32 years,” wrote Mr. Cunha in his email.

Capt. DeCrescenzo said he learned last Thursday that the town manager had selected him to replace Chief LaCross, who led the Barrington Police Department for the last 17 years. (Chief LaCross announced his retirement in late December.) 

Capt. DeCrescenzo said he is excited to begin serving as the new police chief in Barrington.

“I think it’s a good challenge,” he said. “It’s a new motivation. It’s a welcome change for me.”

Capt. DeCrescenzo said it has never been his intention to leave the Barrington Police Department to seek a chief’s position elsewhere.

“I’m loyal to the department,” he said, adding that he felt he was a good fit for the job.

Mr. Cunha agreed. 

The town manager said he had considered advertising the police chief’s position, but eventually decided against that after speaking with Capt. DeCrescenzo. 

“I was absolutely certain that he was the right man for the job,” said Mr. Cunha, adding that Capt. DeCrescenzo holds dozens of law enforcement certifications and knows the community very well. 

“In my opinion, it was not necessary,” he said of conducting an open application process. “By no means did I feel obligated to appoint the number two person in the Barrington Police Department. But in this case, the number two person was the right man for the job.”

Chief LaCross said he spoke with Mr. Cunha and strongly endorsed Capt. DeCrescenzo for the chief's position. 

"I highly recommended to the town manager that he look at Dino for the position," said Chief LaCross. "I said it will work better because it would be a seamless transition."

Chief LaCross said he has full confidence that Capt. DeCrescenzo will do an outstanding job as Barrington's next police chief. He added that Capt. DeCrescenzo serves as acting chief whenever Chief LaCross is out of the state on travel. 

"He's very thorough and diligent in the process of conducting investigations. He's got great people skills, too. He's going to be very good reaching out to the community," said Chief LaCross.

Mr. Cunha said there had been some outside interest in the chief’s position. He said he received a few phone calls from some fairly high-ranking senior law enforcement officers outside Barrington.

The town charter does not require an open application process for the police chief’s position.

Training and certification

Capt. DeCrescenzo has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Bryant College and a master’s in administration of justice from Roger Williams University. He also has dozens of certifications and training qualifications, including emergency vehicle operations instructor, accident reconstruction specialist, and a certification in DNA collection.

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