Johnston Police Promote Two Officers

The held a promotion ceremony for two longtime officers, Daniel Parrillo and Frank Levesque, this morning at the .

Parrillo advanced to the rank of Major, while Levesque earned the rank of Captain.

Mayor Joseph Polisena administered the oaths of office at the 9 a.m. ceremony, which was attended by dozens of members of the department; officers from Cranston, Central Falls, and the Rhode Island State Police; and family and friends.

Police Chief Richard S. Tamburini explained that the upcoming retirement of Maj. John Perrotta led to the promotions.

"When you lose an officer the caliber of Maj. Perrotta, one chief may say 'What do we do now? How to we replace this guy? How are we going to go on losing such a great guy?'" Tamburini explaind. "You're going to be introduced to two men here this morning — Capt. Danny Parrillo & Lt. Frank Levesque — they are going to fill that void."

Tamburini called Parrillo and Levesque "two men who are totally committed and as professional as Maj. Perrotta — it's tough to lose a good man like him, but we've got to go on, [and] I'm so fortunate as Chief of Police to have men of this caliber."

A Johnston resident, Parrillo first joined the Johnston Police Department in 1992 following work as a correctional officer for the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

During his 9 1/2 years in the patrol division, Parrillo earned two department commendations. He was promoted to sergeant in 2002, to lieutenant in 2008, and to captain in 2009.

The department's Internal Affairs Commander, Parrillo also serves as the Special Services Commander and the Elderly Affairs Senior Advocate.

Levesque, a Cranston resident, is a 14-year veteran of the local force, and currently serves as Assistant Detective Division Commander. He has received nine Commendation Awards and three Department Ribbon Awards, and in 2004, earned the Silver Star for Bravery from the American Police Hall of Fame.