JPD Captain Retires

He never questioned that this was the job he wanted. He knew since high school he wanted to be a police officer.

After 23 years in the , Capt. Robert Menard knew, with the same conviction, that it was time to retire.

Menard began his career with the Johnston Police Department in 1988, following his graduation from Rhode Island College with a degree in criminal justice and a stint as a correctional oficer at the Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston..

From the day he was hired, Menard said, he loved the job.

“It’s not a job when you enjoy coming to work every day,” said Menard, adding that he loved being a police officer, and his fellow officers became his "second family."

On July 1, Menard, the department's Night Watch and Assistant Patrol Division Commander, was joined by his family and his second family at the Johnston Police Headquarters.

Officers currently on the job and retired officers filled the room at the station to celebrate Menard’s retirement and wish him well. Menard never stopped smiling as each person walked up to him and gave him a hug.

Chief Richard S. Tamburini told the crowd that no one in the department has worked harder than Menard. He described Menard as a police officer with great instincts. Tamburini said Menard has two definitions of “all-in” as an officer.

“You need to be all-in every day,” explained Tamburini, who then asked Menard if he remembered Sept. 13, 1997.

“Yes sir,” Menard replied.

On his shift that night, Menard was giving a stranded motorist a ride home to Providence when he noticed a car “where no car should be at 1:30 in the morning,” said Tamburini. Menard saw that the interior light of the car was on, and got off the highway to investigate.

His decision led him to the crime scene of a strangulation victim, and Menard was able to arrest the murderer without incident.

“That was great police work,” which exemplified Menard’s career and how he approached the job every day, Tamburini said.

The chief also noted his other definition of Menard’s "all-in" — no piece of edible food in the building was safe if Menard was around, according to the chief.

A roar of laughter came from the assembled group as Tamburini described how Menard would find whatever food was available at headquarters.

When one of the officers made Menard pull his hand out of his pocket — revealing a piece of candy he had just stashed in there — the room again filled with laughter.

Tamburini told Menard he knew it was difficult for him to “pull the plug” but he knew Menard was doing what was best.

“It was an honor to work with you — I’m sad, but it is time to go,” Menard said when it was his time to speak. “This is the best job in the world. You need to know that from the bottom of your heart. It is fun every day.”

Menard explaind that his career would not have been possible without his wife, Marianne, supporting him.

“I am so thankful because, without her, I couldn’t do the job," Menard said. "She always made it easy for me.”

When he was working the midnight to 8 a.m. shift, Menard recalled, Marianne took care of their children and trying to keep them quiet so he could sleep during the day.

Though July 1 marked Menard's official retirement — he said he would be "down-shifting" after leaving the local force — his retirement was actually short lived, since on July 3, he began his new full-time career as a Rhode Island College Campus Police Officer.