After being a police officer for almost 20 years, Officer Thomas Quaratella came to the University of Rhode Island Police Department seeking a change.
Ever since he was little, he always wanted to be a police officer and he has been living out that dream. Quaratella comes to URI from the town of Hopkinton, Rhode Island, after 19 years of service.
“I felt like I was at my end in Hopkinton,” he said, reflecting on why he moved on to become an officer at URI. He was a sergeant for four years before he left, but said he wanted to do more community policing- something Major Michael Jagoda has been moving the URI police department towards.
Before transferring to URI three months ago, Quaratella started helping out with graduation. Through that event he met officers who told him about what the department was doing, as well as their plans for the future, and he liked what he heard.
“The major enticed me with the community policing he was doing up here and I felt that was the way to go,” Quaratella said. He added that he has enjoyed his time here so far, getting to help the students in any ways he can, and his passion about being there for students as much as he can be is clear.
“I’ve always told the kids I’ve interacted with [they] can call anytime or email anytime,” Quaratella said. “You can talk to me anytime, don’t be afraid to approach us. Just because we are in the car doesn’t mean you can’t come up and say ‘hi,’ or approach us and say ‘hey I need this.’”
He also said he enjoys helping students with whatever they need; whether it is giving a safe ride to students or if he has time or driving them up to the emporium to get their food if they don’t feel safe, he has made it known that he is here to help.
It’s been a change for Quaratella, coming from a department that was moving towards the crime and punishment focus to one more aimed at community policing. He explained there is a very big difference between the two, especially in the age differences coming from a town where he would deal with people ages 21 and older, whereas here it’s mainly ages 18 to 22. It was a bit of a difficult transition, according to Quaratella, going from a place where he would get more variety in calls with intense situations to a more controlled environment here at URI.
One of Quaratella’s favorite moments in his three months here was participating in Battleship, an event put on by Student Campus Recreation where teams of four attempted to sink other teams’ canoes.
“That was a whole new ball game for me,” Quaratella said with a laugh. He also enjoyed getting to help hand out hot dogs and popcorn on the Quad, enjoying getting to talk to students and professors.
Quaratella said he is in it for the long haul at URI, adding that he wants to break down the barrier between students and officers.
“I think the kids see us in a bad light right now,” he said. “The kids now are coming up in that light where we are the bad guy, we can’t be trusted.”
Quaratella aims to dissolve that idea and build the idea of officers back up to what they really are: people who are here to help in any way that they can.
“We are here to make sure that you are safe and you are getting a good education,” Quaratella said. “I would say to the kids, ‘don’t run, don’t lie, we are here to help even if you did something ridiculous.’ Just be upfront, courteous and respectful, [and] it’ll go a long way. I know it will go a long way with me, and I know it will go a long way with a lot of the other guys here.”