Providence Police Promote Timothy O’Hara To Commander Of Department

PROVIDENCE, RI — Timothy O'Hara was promoted to commander of the Providence Police Department, Mayor Brett Smiley and Col. Oscar Perez said in a joint statement Tuesday.

O’Hara has served the Providence Police Department for 28 years, most recently serving as major and overseeing the administration division. O’Hara has had several supervisory roles throughout his career, including commanding officer of the mounted command, commanding officer of the violent crime task force and commanding officer of District 1, overseeing the downtown area.

"Commander O’Hara has spent his career selflessly serving our city, and I am certain he will excel in his new capacity," Smiley said. "Under their leadership, Chief Perez and Commander O'Hara will continue the great progress we’ve seen over the last year and will keep the Providence Police Department as one of the best in the country."

City officials said O’Hara is the recipient of numerous awards and commendations, including the First Place Rhea Archambault Award in 1997 for Police Officer of the Year, the Rhea Archambault
Awards in 1996, and 2001, the City Council Award, the F.O.P. Award, and the Outside Agency Award.

He has been a member of the gang intervention unit and the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. O'Hara was the chairman of the Providence Police Commendation Board from 2014 to 2017. He was also a board member of the Downtown Improvement District and Co-Chair of the Downtown Security Network. In 2018, O’Hara attended the Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) at Boston University and is an alumnus of Leadership RI 2020. In February 2023, O’Hara was appointed to the Rhode Island Parole Board by Gov. Dan McKee.

"I am proud to give this distinction to my long-time colleague Timothy O’Hara, who every day exemplifies what it means to serve our community with empathy and integrity," Perez said. “His deep and varied expertise will be invaluable as we work to improve local public safety and better serve our residents."

O'Hara will succeed Kevin Lanni as commander and will be charged with overseeing daily operations and rank and file of the Providence Police Department.

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