The University of Rhode Island has a dedicated police department that is always growing because of new officers and new trainees.
Currently, there are two trainees going through the police academy to become full-fledged URI police officers. Joseph Dilorio and Jacob Maione are currently in their 21st week of the academy, with only two more left to complete before entering their probationary year on campus. During that time, they will be riding along with senior officers in the department.
Neither Dilorio nor Maione have prior experience, so serving at URI will be their first times working on a police force. Dilorio said he wanted to come to URI because of the community policing that the department offers.
“I love meeting people, learning what they’re about, talking to them and I feel that URI is the best opportunity for that,” Dilorio said. Maione added he has wanted to go into the force for a while, and feels that URI will be an interesting, tight-knit community.
“I’m excited to interact with students and other community members of all different walks of life,” Maione said. He is a graduate of Unity College with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Dilorio is still in school at the Community College of Rhode Island, earning his associate’s degree in criminal justice.
Both men are excited to finish up their time in the academy and get out into the policing world on campus. In the academy, soon to be officers undergo all different types of training. They explained that the first few weeks at the academy are mostly all physical training all day, every day. Dilorio said it relates to military boot camp in some ways, as there is extensive physical training and in-class training.
The classes they take range from mental health classes to probation and control. Anything an officer might encounter in the field, they cover. With all different types of training, there were some that they both were happy to get through. Dilorio said he was glad to have gotten the pepper spraying over with, while Maione said for him it was firearms. Maione explained that it was challenging, but rewarding to get past.
“It’s a lot more difficult than people think,” Maione said.
As Dilorio and Maione look forward to their quickly approaching placements on the URI police force, both officers have goals that they want to reach for. For Maione, he wants to treat all people with respect. Whether he has a good or bad experience with someone, Maione doesn’t want anyone to think or feel that he treated them poorly in any way.
“[I] just want to treat everyone equally and with the same respect, no matter what the situation,” he said. “I want to be known as an approachable officer. I’m young, I just finished my college program so I know what it’s like to be in a college environment.” Maione added that he is easy to talk to and will do his best to be understanding.
Dilorio agreed with Maione and added, that like the goal of law enforcement today, he wants to make sure students know that the officers are here for them.
“We’re not just police officers, we’re here to talk to you, help you, whatever you want,” Dilorio said. “Whether it has to do with policing or just your daily life, we are here to talk and listen. We’re good people, we want to hear what you have to say, your opinions matter. We are here for you.”