Newport & Aquidneck Island Police Parade Set For Sunday

NEWPORT, RI — The annual National Police Parade steps off Sunday morning in Middletown near the Hampton Inn and Suites on West Main Road. Although it's a family-friendly and fun event with floats, and clowns and music, the parade also has a somber purpose, which is remembering the officers who died in the line of duty in 2017.

That number in 2017 was 133. Five officers from the greater New York area died due to illnesses connected to the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. But the majority of officers who were killed in 2017 died as a result of gunfire, according to Newport police Lt. Frank Rosa.

In this year's parade, about 80 different groups are participating, he said. Many represent law enforcement agencies, while others are from community groups. Expect fire trucks and police cars all the way to the review stand in Washington Square.

The ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m.; the parade is underway at 11:30, and it crosses One Mile Corner into Newport at approximately 12:30 p.m. The route goes straight down Route 114, which is West Main Road for the Middletown stretch and Broadway in Newport.

West Main Road in Middletown is closed to traffic from Coddington Highway to Admiral Kalfbus (which is also known as One Mile Corner). For the Middletown traffic and parking restrictions, click here.

Newport also has traffic and parking restrictions. According to the police department, visitors should expect congestion in Lower Broadway (Washington Square) from roughly 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also, parking will be limited.

Specifically, parking is not allowed at all from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the parade route, which is Broadway (from Admiral Kalfbus to Washington Square on both sides of the street). Cars will be towed, police said.

Also, no parking is allowed on these side streets:

Touro Street (from Thames to Spring streets);

Charles Street; and

Duke Street.

The best routes into Newport are Memorial Boulevard to America's Cup Avenue or Connell Highway to America's Cup Avenue. Public parking is available in the Gateway parking garage (at the Newport Visitor Center) and in the parking lot between Church and Mary streets.

Police will enforce the open container and noise ordinances.

File Photo and Video: Margo Sullivan