Parrillo Discusses New Life As JPD's No. 2

After steadily advancing through the ranks of the Johnston Police Department, Daniel Parrillo attained the rank of Deputy Chief, following David DeCesare, who left the department to take the post of Rhode Island Chief Sheriff.

During a recent interview at police headquarters — just about a month after his formal appointment to the number-2 post at the police department — Parrillo spoke about his career, his new position, and where the department stands.

Parrillo's promotion followed a roughly two-year transition period, where several senior officers retired allowing younger officers to advance.

"I have 20 years on the job, and I'm the second-senior officer — we usd to have officer here for 23, 24, 25, 30 years, and that's not happening any more," Parrillo explained. "So, definitely, it's an emerging department."

Asked for what he's discovered in his new job, Parrillo said he's gained some new perspective.

"The higher and higher you get, the more and more you get away from the day-to-day work of catching bad guys. I am so far removed from that, I barely get a chance to read the day sheet and see what happened last night," Parrillo explained. "There are so many other responsibilities I have — there's a lot more involved than I ever knew. And David would tell me, 'When you get in that position, you'll see — you'll see why my desk was a mess, why I was always running out, you'll understand.' And now I'm starting to understand"

Part of Parrillo's new job is also serving as the town's Emergency Management Agency director, which puts him into contact with officials from the town and school in a different capacity.

"I've known everyone, it's just kind of dealing with them on a different level now," he said. "It's more people that I can bring into the mix — having all these different entities definitely helps when we have storms and other emergencies."

That interaction with other departments has also brought a new understanding of how the police department works within the larger community, he added.

"I always thought we were at the top of the heap — police and fire, then everything else, but everything else is equal now," Parrillo explained. "The DPW has their role, the school department, the senior center have their roles — so I think all town departments are on an equal playing field. They all have their expertise, they all have their importance. Working with these other departments, I've seen that everybody has their importance, and they all bring something to the table that's equally important as the police and fire services."

Check out the accompanying video for more from our interview with Deputy Chief Daniel Parrillo.