May 14, 2009

Edward Bryne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Applied for.

Request for Public Comment

The Coventry Police Department hereby notifies the public that it will make available a copy of its application detailing the proposed use of funds to be received under the Recovery Act, Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, administered through the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. The Coventry Police Department has applied for a grant in the amount of $50,649.00.

The Coventry Police Department has made the application available for review by the public. Click here to download the submitted application or you can contact Beverly Gammel at the police station if you wish to obtain a hard copy.

March 6, 2009
By Jessica Selby
jselby@ricentral.com

If you are involved in an accident in Coventry, you won’t have to make an extra trip to the police department to access you accident report anymore. Earlier this week, the department made its accident reports accessible to the public on line.  They are the first department in the state to launch such access, according to Lt. Robin Winslow, of the Coventry Police Department.“We just felt society as a whole is becoming more electronically connected so it made sense to afford them this opportunity,” Winslow said.  “Also when you think of people’s schedules and our limited hours that they can actually come in and get a report, it’s business hours, but with people working, they can’t always come in during that time, and many would rather get what they need while working on their own computers in the comfort of their own home whether it be at 2 in the morning or 2 in the afternoon, so we felt that it made sense to do this now.”
This new initiative was just launched on Monday, March 9th.  She said that there is a link on the Department’s home webpage, coventrypd.org/, to the site, or people can just go to http://policereports.us/ to access their report.

Winslow said that the site is “extremely easy to navigate” and that the process takes no time at all. Once on the policereports.us site, people will see an image of a map of the United States.  Just over a dozen states are highlighted as offering the service, with Rhode Island being one of them. When you click on a state, a list of participating departments comes up and, under Rhode Island, Coventry Police Department is the only one listed, as Winslow had pointed out; click on it and the accident report database form pops up. According to the site, reports occurring after March 1st, 2009 will be the first available on the site.  Winslow said that similar to the traditional style of accessing reports, it will still take three to four business days to process the report and get it uploaded onto the site.  She said that reports can be accessed either by the report case number, the date of the accident, or by the last name of the person involved in the accident. Winslow said that the site is very user friendly and that it should make the entire process of accessing those reports much easier. According to the site, reports can be viewed in PDF or TIFF format. If there is a problem, or if the site indicates that reports are unavailable, users are advised to call the records department at 822-9191, Monday, 1 to 4 p.m. and  Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to noon and then again from 1 to 4 p.m.
Winslow said that although Coventry is the first department in this state to adopt such a program, nationwide the concept has really taken off and is being “very well received by the communities” where it is being offered, she said. “The police department I spoke to about it had nothing but praise to say about the program,” Winslow said.
The site can be accessed by visiting the Coventry Police Department’s website, coventrypd.org/, and clicking on the link there or just by visiting ttp://policereports.us/.

March 6, 2009
By Jessica Selby
jselby@ricentral.com
Coventry Police Detectives say that they are one piece in the puzzle away from solving a number of open cases they are working.“It is so frustrating for us as detectives, to have such clear, cut cases, with great images of these people actually committing the crime, yet we can’t make the arrests,” said Det. Kevin Harris of the Coventry Police Department.  The one major road block in closing these cases, he said, is identifying the suspects.  Visit the Coventry Police Department’s website, there is a link on there for Coventry’s Most Wanted, and on there, there are a number of images depicting the suspects in a variety of criminal acts ranging from fraud, larceny and shoplifting.  These cases are as clear cut as you can get, Harris said, and yet, the people have not been arrested and that is because they have not been identified. Coventry detectives are currently working a case that they have video footage of the suspects using a stolen credit card that is all clearly visible right on the tape.

According to Harris, a local Coventry teen misplaced her bank card some time last month and didn’t realize it until she received her statement and discovered all of these random charges on it. He said that she then learned that her card had gone missing and contacted her bank to report it stolen.  Police were able to track the card’s usage and discovered it used at several locations including a Getty in Providence, a Cumberland Farms in Cranston and an EBLens Clothing store in Providence.  He said that detectives had a break when they learned that EBLens uses surveillance video. Harris said that police were able to match up an image of the suspect and even have him fraudulently signing for the card right on the tape.  The video also captures the suspects entering and exiting the store, and the images, Harris said, “are great.”  In fact, he said, “we couldn’t ask for better images.” Harris said the he is also working on a case with “great video footage” that captures a male entering Wal-Mart on January 11th with an empty carriage.  He said that the man walks the carriage over to the electronics department, puts the Rock Band game into his carriage and then takes it right to the customer service desk to return it for cash using a stolen identification card. Retail theft in Coventry is on the rise, according to Harris, and, he said, “we are finding that these people are not stealing things that they can use for their own personal usage, but they are taking things that they can resell.”“It is clear in what these people are taking that they are almost always taking it to get extra money,” Harris said.  “I mean look at what a lot of these people are taking, it is almost always items that you can find for next to nothing at your local flea market where you wonder how they can sell it for so cheap, and it’s because it is a clear profit for them no matter what they sell it for.” In one of the more recent cases of larceny at Wal-Mart, a woman walked into the store and stole a myriad variety of items including crest white strips, Prilosec, Just For Men beard and mustache die, and several CDs.  The woman, Harris said, made off with a grand total of $1,247 worth of items.  He has video image of her, yet she has not been arrested. A team of suspects walked into Wal-Mart a few months ago and basically did the same thing, but this “team,” Harris said, made off with $3,000 worth of items.  Several of the suspects in this case have been identified, according to Harris, but are listed as New York residents and have yet to have been brought in on the charges.

“We are not arresting a lot of Coventry people for crimes going on in Coventry, if you look at the information, many of these people are from out of town or even out of state who are coming in and committing these crimes, but that is why it can be so helpful to have the website, because people from all over can access the website,” Harris said.
According to Harris, the Coventry Police Department has solved a number of crimes through the website.  In fact, he said, that within the last year that the site has been up, the detectives unit has closed close to 10 cases based solely on leads that came in through the website; cases that Harris said, the department probably wouldn’t have been able to solve otherwise.  He said that they have identified suspects in these cases from as close as West Greenwich, South Kingstown and Providence, and as far away as New York and Connecticut.“It is definitely a helpful tool, we just need to get more people familiar with it so that they can go on it and look at these pictures,” he said.  “We are putting in 30, 40, up to 50 man hours in looking through these videos and we are getting good quality pictures, we even have the get away vehicles in some of these cases, and yet we still can’t identify these people. “We just need the public to go on and just get a look at these photos, they are great shots so it is not like we are asking people to make judgments on unclear photos, we just need them to look,” he said.  “I mean someone has got to know who these people are.” Harris said that people who provide tips based on what they see on the site do not have to identify themselves. All people have to do is click on the link and they can send an email that goes directly to Det. Harris’s desk and he vowed that detectives or anyone else in the department will not trace that information back.  “It is,” he said, “solely just meant to help us.”
To view the site, visit the Coventry Police Department’s website, coventrypd.org/, and click on the link for “Coventry’s Most Wanted,” or just visit www.coventrypd.org/CPDMostWanted.html.  There is also a link on the department’s main site to Rhode Island’s Most Wanted where most of the cases are also posted.

March 3, 2009

The Coventry Police Department along with The West Greenwich Police Department would like to welcome Audrey Thayer. Coventry and West Greenwich Police were awarded funding through the GTEAP Grant Program (Grants To Encourage Arrest Policies). Audrey was selected from a group of individuals who specialize in Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Audrey is the new Law Enforcement Advocate (LEA) who will be working with both departments assisting them with victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. To learn more about Audrey and the Domestic Violence Sexual Assault program CLICK HERE:

CPD Honor Guard makes Garden appearance!

November 12, 2008

Det. Wayne French (from left), Sgt. Kevin Nolan, Officer Randy Polion, Det. Keith Clarke, Officer Aieres Medeiros, and Det. Kevin Harris of the Coventry Police Department Honor Guard took to the floor of the TD Banknorth Garden to introduce the Boston Celtics at the start of a recent game.

By Jessica Selby

\n jselby@ricentral.com This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

BOSTON — A group of Coventry Police officers recently found themselves at court in Boston. While it might not be unusual for members of the police department to be at court, this time it was at the TD Banknorth Garden and the Coventry Police Department Honor Guard was sharing the court with the Boston Celtics.

Six of the senior members of the group were invited to usher in the Boston Celtics at the team’s Nov. 12 game against the Atlanta Hawks at the TD Banknorth Garden, according to the department. Det. Kevin Harris of the Coventry Police Department was a member of the group and was also instrumental in arranging for the appearance. He said that it was an honor that has never before been bestowed on the local police department.

“Our honor guard has done the Pawtucket Red Sox games before, but never anything like this on a national level,” Harris said. “It was pretty exciting to have the Coventry Police Honor Guard bringing out the Boston Celtics team.”

The whole thing was initiated from a simple inquiry, Harris said. “I am a season ticket holder and so I have seen many different departments bring in the team, but, last year, I started inquiring about who gets to do it and how and I learned that every year they have a new guest come in and this year they gave me a call,” Harris said. “They told me that six of us could go up and take to the floor, but one of the guys would have to be a back up.” It was a pretty amazing experience, Harris said.

“We got to go out on the floor with the world champion Celtics,” Harris said. “This puts our small little hometown department of Coventry in some major spotlight, which I think is pretty fantastic. “I can’t tell you how many people stopped us from the crowd to say how professional we looked in our uniforms and it was really nice when we were announced in as the Coventry Police Department Honor Guard,” he said. “But what was even better was that we had unlimited access to the players. We got to watch them practice, then they gave us box seats in the halo and the game ended in a buzzer-beating shot by Celtics Paul Pierce which won the game for the team. So, on top of everything, it was an incredible game.”

August 13, 2008

Enzo Assists in Heroin Seizure in Providence

Police seize 4.7 pounds of heroin, arrest man 01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 By Gregory SmithJournal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- In what the police called one of their largest-ever heroin seizures, detectives have confiscated heroin with a street value in excess of $200,000 in an investigation in Mount Pleasant. One alleged dealer is under arrest and being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions, and a second suspect is being sought. "It's the largest heroin seizure of the year" in Providence, said Detective Lt. Thomas Verdi, commander of the Narcotics and Organized Crime Bureau. "And it's one of the largest ever seized in the city." By weight, investigators confiscated 2,135.6 grams of heroin, or nearly 2.14 kilograms, most of which was in the form of three bricks wrapped in black duct tape. That weight equals 4.7 pounds. Verdi said the haul is more than one-third the size of the largest seizure on record in Rhode Island, which he said was 6 kilos.
In an investigation this month, two of Verdi's detectives received information from a confidential source that Marco M. DeJesus, 28, and Peter Quinones, 31, both of whom were said to have extensive criminal records, were storing and selling heroin at a house at 209 Sisson St., in the Mount Pleasant section. A confidential informant allegedly made a police-supervised purchase of heroin from Quinones, in the presence of DeJesus. That purchase combined with surveillance and other information enabled the police to obtain a search warrant for the house from District Court Magistrate Joseph P. Ippolito Jr.

At about 5 p.m. Friday, seven detectives, two uniformed officers and a Coventry police officer with a drug-sniffing dog named Enzo went to the house. Several people were detained, including DeJesus, the police said. Enzo sensed drugs in a rolled-up carpet in the basement, and the police said they found the three bricks labeled with the name Ramos inside the carpet. In a first-floor bedroom, the dog again smelled narcotics, and the police said they found bagged heroin in the inside pocket of a suit jacket hanging in a closet. As the search continued, the police said, they found drug paraphernalia including a coffee grinder that contained heroin residue and glassine packets used for packaging heroin, cash stuffed inside sneakers and papers that they claimed represent a drug sales ledger.

Investigators seized two motorcycles, a personal watercraft, a Toyota sport-utility vehicle and a car, all of which they said they intend to have a court declare forfeit as the proceeds of illicit drug sales. From DeJesus and from the sneakers they confiscated a total of $5,900, which they said they would also seek to have declared forfeit.
DeJesus, whose home address was given as 209 Sisson, was charged with possession of more than one kilo of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to deliver, and conspiracy. He was arraigned and sent to the ACI. The police obtained an arrest warrant that charges Quinones, who Verdi said remains at large. The police did not offer a home address for Quinones.

July 1, 2008

2008 CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY

The Coventry Police Department is currently accepting applications for the 2008 Citizens Police Academy.  The academy is tentatively scheduled to begin the first week of September.
 This is an opportunity for a person who lives or works in the Town of Coventry to learn about your local Police Department.  Instructors will be the men and women officers of this department.  This experience will be both exciting and educational.   Those accepted will be expected to participate in both classroom and hands on police scenarios, including mock police scenarios.
We will be accepting applications starting June 21st thru August 1st.  Applications can be picked up at Coventry Police Headquarters or downloaded at www.coventrypd.org.    Applicants must be at least 18 (eighteen) yrs. old and have NO Criminal record.
This Academy is 12 (twelve) weeks long and will meet on Wednesday nights from 6:00pm till 10:00pm. There will be a graduation ceremony at the conclusion of the academy.  Certificates and a class photo will be presented to all graduates who complete the academy.For more information please contact Detective Kevin Harris between the hours of 8:00am – 12:00am. At 401-822-6225.

Feb 2008

Col. Ronald DaSilva announces the following promotions and assignments:

Promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant:
            Michael K. Flanagan                  Mid-8 Shift Commander
            John S. MacDonald                  Day Shift Commander
            Stephen Michailides                 Evening Shift Commander

Promoted from Officer to Sergeant:
            John A. Shields                       Legal Division
            Kevin P. Nolan                         Mid-8 Shift Supervisor
            Dennis P. Skorski                    Evening Shift Supervisor
            Gary G. Miller                           Evening Shift Supervisor

The following officer were reassigned:
            Lt. Robin Winslow                               Administration
                                                                       Officer of planning & Career Development
            Lt. David Tomasso                               Detective Division
            Sgt. Peter Zalabowski                          Detective Division

We would like to extend Best Wishes to Chief Brian O’Rourke, Lt. Thomas Beaulieu, Sgt. Charles Bourret and Detective Leo Fox on their retirement from the Coventry Police Dept.

01:00 AM EST on Thursday, January 31, 2008

By Lisa Vernon-Sparks

Journal Staff Writer

COVENTRY — When he leaves his office today, Police Chief Brian O’Rourke will be doing so as a civilian. After 25 years on the force, the last 6½ as chief, O’Rourke, 53, is retiring. Succeeding him in the top post will be Lt. Ronald DaSilva, 40, who joined the department 19 years ago.

“It’s been a great time,” said O’Rourke, who lives in Warwick. “We’ve seen dramatic growth.”

As chief, he saw the uniformed complement increase from 52 officers to 60, spent about $100,000 on technological upgrades and shepherded the formation of a joint SWAT team with the West Warwick Police Department.In retirement, he said, he might be interested in teaching criminal justice at the college level. DaSilva, the department’s senior lieutenant, was recommended for the top post by acting Town Manager Paul K. Sprague, who with the help of Scituate Police Chief William Mack interviewed the 26 candidates — including chiefs of other Rhode Island departments and members of the Rhode Island State Police — who responded to advertisements for applicants. The Town Council accepted Sprague’s recommendation and yesterday DaSilva, one of four Coventry officers who applied, accepted a three-year contract with a starting salary of $80,000 a year. He will receive 2.25 percent raises on July 1 and next Jan. 1 — the same increases provided in the police union contract — and 3 percent raises in each of the ensuing two years, according to Sprague.

A detective for eight years, DaSilva also served as the department’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations officer for nine years. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice from Salve Regina University, and he is an adjunct professor in criminal justice at Roger Williams University. “It should be a goal of every police officer to be top cop,” said DaSilva, an East Providence native whose brother Kenneth, a former Coventry Town Council member, is a retired Bristol police officer. “I got my start as a police cadet in East Providence when I was 13.” By the time he was 18, Ronald DaSilva was working as a special reserve officer in East Providence. He headed to Coventry after graduating from college, choosing that department because it was “progressive” police force in a growing community, he said. “It was doing things,” he recalled. “It was bringing in the new age in law enforcement. Coventry was one of the first departments to use computers.”

Sprague said all four Coventry candidates were “excellent.” DaSilva, he said, stood out because of his varied experience and training. The officer has assisted Sprague in the acting manager’s role as emergency management director and has helped secure Homeland Security funds for equipment and training. “He is extremely intelligent … he is very innovative, he has a lot of good ideas to bring to the table and he is a hard worker … and he is well respected by the personnel in the Police Department,” Sprague said. The roster of the department, at 1025 Main St. includes 20 civilian workers. The uniformed personnel include three women, all in the patrol section; a female recruit is attending the Municipal Police Training Academy, DaSilva said. Interviewed yesterday in the department’s tiny roll-call room, DaSilva said his goals include a more open relationship with the news media and expanded community involvement. “Help us by telling us what you want us to do,” he said of townspeople. He hopes the community of 35,000 becomes more the eyes and ears for the police.

Knowing tight finances preclude adding more uniformed personnel, DaSilva said he hopes to bring in more clerical staff to free officers for street duty including traffic safety — a big issue — and investigations of vandalism, larceny and fraud. “We’re a bedroom community. Everyone comes to live here. The town has seen everything [of a criminal nature] that everyone else does, just in different proportions,” he said. “We are 64 square miles. It’s a lot of town to cover.”

lsparks@projo.com

Coventry fraud investigator gets national recognition

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, October 19, 2007

By Lisa Vernon-Sparks

Journal Staff Writer

Coventry Detective Marcos Saenko received an honorable mention for 2007 Police Officer of the Year during the annual meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police this month. Below is some of the counterfeit currency that is part of his fraud collection.
The Providence Journal / Kris Craig
COVENTRY — Checking the Internet, Detective Marcos Saenko scrolled through a list of police officers who received the International Association of Chiefs of Police service award, given annually to a distinguished group, of which Saenko now belongs.
He read about officers honored for thwarting an armed robbery while being shot at, saving a drowning person, uncovering a drug trafficking ring and acting as a human shield to protect fellow officers. “I felt like I didn’t belong there. I felt they did greater things,” he said. “It’s a very strange feeling [to be honored].” But the 20-year Coventry police officer deserves the recognition.
Saenko, 54, a West Warwick resident and detective specializing in financial crimes, this week received the service award for his work with the Secret Service on a large-scale investigation that resulted in the arrest of four men involved in an identify-theft crime ring at supermarkets in several states. He also uncovered a Nigerian letter-type scam involving fake credit-card gift checks.
For these and the hundreds of cases he’s solved and also, his work to alert the public of fraud schemes, Saenko received an honorable mention for the 2007 Police Officer of the Year during the IACP’s annual conference held in New Orleans. He joins 10 officers nationwide also recognized for their work. Saenko went to New Orleans with his wife, Elaine, and colleague Capt. Bryan Volpe, who submitted Saenko’s name to the law-enforcement association in April. Volpe said the detective has an impressive body of work since joining the force.“It’s a great honor,” Volpe said. “His body of work has been exceptional — the great outcome with our Stop & Shop [bust], with the community and all the fraud and certain types of scams,” Volpe said. “He’s done a lot.” There is much to uncover, because identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country.“Law enforcement is looking at it very seriously,” Volpe said, adding that there are so many scams through the Internet and mailings, credit-card fraud, that it’s hard to give statistics.
In Coventry, fraudulent schemes and other financial crimes amount to more than 50 percent of all crimes there, more than even sexual assault, homicides or narcotics, Saenko said. As he flips through a 6-inch-thick binder filled with evidence from past cases — fake photo IDs, Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, phony checks and copies of counterfeit currency — Saenko remembers that when he began, fraud crimes weren’t as pervasive.
“Financial crimes weren’t like [they are] today. Once in a while you’d get a bad check or a stolen credit card. Back then it was like ‘wow,’ ” Saenko said of the types of cases he worked in the past. “[Now] there have been 300 cases of identity theft in the last five or six years — the biggest was the Stop and Shop thing.” In that case, four California men were arrested and charged in February this year with stealing debit card and credit information at a Stop & Shop supermarket on Tiogue Avenue. Saenko was the lead detective on that case and worked with the Secret Service. The investigation linked the arrested men to incidents at Stop & Shop supermarkets in other Rhode Island communities and had connected them with similar crimes in five major American cities. In addition to uncovering fraud cases, Saenko writes a newsletter alerting residents about fraudulent schemes and regularly holds informational sessions around the state, particular for the elderly, on the various schemes and how everyone can avoid them.
“He is a great resource. A lot of agencies come for help, the local police departments, the banking community,” Volpe said. “He is a leader. They have certain issues and if it’s something we can investigate, we will.” Investigating financial crimes hasn’t always been Saenko’s bailiwick, but serving the public has always been.

Born in Venezuela, Saenko is a former lieutenant and pilot with the Venezuelan Air Force. He also flew with the U.S. Air Force as a foreign officer in an exchange program. Saenko has taught piloting and was a member of an acrobatic flying team in Venezuela.
He met his wife while on tour in the U.S. Air Force, eventually got married and moved stateside. He became a Coventry Police officer in 1988. After graduating from the academy, he worked as a D.A.R.E. officer in Coventry for about seven years before becoming a detective. The couple live in West Warwick and have two grown children. In his office are some pictures of his days as a pilot. He says there are a lot of lessons he learned as a pilot that he uses everyday as a detective.

“When you are a pilot you have to be observant…your life depends on it. I think you apply those things as a patrolman. When you get your wings, it always stays with you,” Saenko said.

September 22, 2007

Members of the Coventry Police and Fire Department held a safety event at The Family Fitness Zone. The Police and Fire Department along with Frank Cotter from Ident-A-Kid and Donna Averil from Met-Life Insurance assisted with the sucess of the event.

August 2007

Detective Marcos Saenko meets with President George Bush at the Newport Naval College.

July 12, 2007

The Coventry Police Department is still taking application for the upcoming Citizens Police Academy. This is an opportunity for anyone who has a vested interest in the town of Coventry to learn about the police department. Click the following link for additional information and to download an application.

July 11, 2007

Amanda K. Lowe
Daily Times

COVENTRY — Three new faces will be seen patrolling the streets of Coventry.
The Coventry Police Department has sworn in three new officers — Alexander DeMolles, Graham MacCoy, and Erica Novak.
According to Coventry Police Chief Brian O’Rourke, the appointments fill the vacancies created when officers retired.
All three new officers have just successfully completed 16 weeks at the municipal police academy and graduated from the academy on June 29, O’Rourke said.
DeMolles, MacCoy, and Novak were sworn into the Coventry Police Department at the town council meeting on Monday evening.
All three officers raised their right hands as Town Manager Richard Kerbel asked “Do you solemnly swear that you will be true and faithful to this state and support the law and constitution thereof, and the constitution of the United States of America and that you will well and truly execute the office of  the control unit for the Coventry Police Department to which you have been appointed, so help you God?”
After each of the new officers replied “I do,” their fathers — Alexander DeMolles, John MacCoy, and Michael Novak —  pinned Coventry Police Department badges onto the new police officers’ uniforms.
DeMolles, 23, was the valedictorian of his class at the Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy. He has an associate’s degree in law enforcement from the Community College of Rhode Island and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island, O’Rourke said.
Previously, DeMolles was an assistant harbormaster for the Town of South Kingston and an emergency medical technician and community service officer for the Town of Jamestown, according to O’Rourke.
MacCoy, 23, has an associate’s degree in criminal justice from the Community College of Rhode Island. He has previously worked as a police dispatcher, a traffic constable, and a lifeguard in the Town of Charlestown.
Novak, 25, has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Rhode Island. She previously worked as a caregiver in the healthcare field and as a waitress and a gym instructor.
“The three officers have begun a program which includes 12 weeks of riding around with other Coventry police officers before they get their own assignments,” O’Rourke said. “Then, most likely, they will have the pleasure of working the midnight to 8 a.m. shift.”

May 28, 2007

Heroes in Johnson's Pond rescue recognized ......... Amanda K. Lowe, Daily Times

COVENTRY - A single act of heroism has earned two members of the Coventry Police Department multiple honors.

"We are recognizing two police officers that did something that sounds to me like something out of a movie with Wesley Snipes and Bruce Willis," said Coventry Town Council President Justin Pomfret at last week's town council meeting. "Only it wasn't Bruce Willis and Wesley Snipes, it was two police officers right here in this wonderful community of Coventry."
On May 4, Capt. Walter Hennessy and Patrol Officer Domenic Guglielmo dove into Johnson Pond and pulled a woman out of her car after she drove into the water.
The police say the woman, a 20-year-old Coventry resident, lost control of the car while driving in the area of Isle of Capri and Hill Farm roads. Hennessy and Guglielmo were the first responders to the scene. They spotted the car almost fully submerged in about 10 feet of water near the shoreline of Johnson Pond.
The officers jumped into the water and swam to the car, which was filling with water. When they arrived at the car, they broke the back window with a rock and a flashlight, and pulled the driver to safety, according to police.
Town council members issued a proclamation last Monday night honoring the two officers.
"The professionalism and the courage in this rescue effort are in keeping with the highest traditions of law enforcement and the Coventry Police Department," the town council's proclamation states.
The proclamation was only the beginning of the honors bestowed on the two men last Monday night.
Coventry Police Chief Brian O'Rourke presented the two officers with one of the department's highest honors - the Medal of Valor.
"We are presenting these officers with this honor for their brave and heroic actions of diving into Johnson Pond and safely extricating the female out of the submerging vehicle," O'Rourke said. "Without question, their actions prevented a tragedy and they have the praise of the whole department."
The Central Coventry Fire District also presented Hennessy and Guglielmo with special honors.
"I have over 37 years of public safety experience and this was one of the most courageous acts I have had the opportunity to witness," Chief Brian Hoxsie said. "In my 37 years, we have a lot of what we call saves or what are considered to be saves. This is by far the most definite saved life I have ever witnessed."
On behalf of the Central Coventry Fire District, Hoxsie presented Hennessy and Guglielmo with a plaque honoring the men for saving a life.
"This is the first plaque of its type ever to be issued by our fire district and I am pretty sure by any fire district to any police officer in the Town of Coventry," Hoxsie said. "As a Coventry resident, I couldn't be prouder of the two of you."
Hoxsie added that between Hennessy and Guglielmo, there are 31 years of experience - with Hennessy holding 30 of those years.
"Any officer would have done the same thing that we did," Hennessy said. "We happened to be in the right place at the right time. We did our job and I am sure that any other officer would have done the same thing."
"The Fire Department was right behind us that night," he added. "We weren't the only ones there. They were there with a boat and special suits to go into the water. When we came out of the water, we were cold and we were probably suffering from mild hypothermia. The chief took over our care that night and we thank him for that."
Guglielmo said he will leave the town with these three honors to protect citizens at a higher level.
He will be deployed with the Army National Guard for the second time in the coming months, he said.

"We wish Domenic the very best of luck," O'Rourke said. "He will be in our prayers and we wish him the best of luck."