There shall be a Police Department, the head of which shall be the Chief of Police, who shall be appointed by the Town Council from among qualified applicants with at least five years' experience above the rank of corporal and 10 years' total experience in any organized police department. The appointee shall be given a contract for no less than three nor more than five years which may be renewable and which shall contain a provision that the Chief may be removed, suspended or demoted by the Council for good and sufficient cause during any such contract period following notice and a public hearing if requested. The Chief of Police shall be the chief administrative officer of the Department and the final departmental authority in all matters of policy, operations, and discipline, subject to applicable provisions of State law. He or she shall exercise all lawful powers of the office and issue such lawful orders as are necessary to assure the effective performance of the Department and shall be responsible for the care and custody of all property used by the Department.
A. 
There shall be such other subordinate officers, patrolmen, special police officers and employees as shall be determined from time to time and such organization of the Department into divisions or offices or grades, as the Council determines upon recommendation of the Chief of Police.
B. 
The Police Department shall be responsible for the preservation of the public peace, prevention of crime, protection of the rights of persons and property, regulation of traffic, and the enforcement of the laws of the State and the ordinances of the Town.
Fire prevention, fire fighting and emergency medical rescue services may be provided to the Town by volunteer fire and rescue companies as directed by the Town Council and which shall be governed by a Board of Engineers. The Board shall consist of six members constituting the Chiefs from each of the companies as follows: West Greenwich Vol. Fire Co. #1, Lake Mishnock Fire/Rescue, West Greenwich Community Rescue, and Hianloland Fire/Rescue; as well as the Chief of Police and one member appointed by the Town Council. The companies shall not be departments of the Town. Each company shall retain the autonomy provided in its charter subject to governance by the Board of Engineers.
A. 
The governing duties of the Board of Engineers shall be as follows:
1. 
Prepare a budget on behalf of all of the companies for submission to the Town Council on an annual basis.
2. 
Prepare recommendations to the Town Council on the purchase of all necessary fire and rescue apparatus and fire-fighting equipment and any other equipment necessary and proper for the operation and maintenance of fire and rescue protection services.
3. 
Maintain auditable records for each of the companies, and shall compile a financial statement for each company, prepared annually by a licensed certified public accountant. That financial statement along with the entity's annual tax return shall be submitted to the Town Treasurer no later than October 15 of each fiscal year.
[Amended 11-2-2010]
4. 
Meet on a regular basis to consider issues related to fire and rescue protection within the Town.
B. 
All companies may be financed from funds raised by the companies and from appropriations approved by the electors at the Financial Town Meeting.
C. 
All companies seeking Town funds to support annual operations shall present their requests through the Board of Engineers to the Town Council at a budget workshop, which shall be called by the Council and where minutes shall be recorded. The proposed budget shall be discussed and agreed to by the Council and the Board of Engineers in joint session. The Council shall include this recommended amount for the fire companies and rescue companies in its proposed budget document.
D. 
All requests for new capital expenditures for fire fighting or rescue equipment shall be discussed at the joint budget workshops. The Council shall require concurrence by majority vote from the Board of Engineers before voting whether or not to place any new capital expenditure request before the electors. All such requests shall appear as a new line item identified by company on the Council's proposed budget document and thereafter shall be retained as a separate budget line item until paid for in full.
E. 
No fire company or rescue company receiving Town funds shall pledge anticipated Town funds for any capital purchase or to secure a loan over $10,000 for any purpose unless first complying with the procedures set forth in Subsections C and D above and the electors have appropriated the funds for that specific purchase or loan.
F. 
Subsections D and E above notwithstanding, the Council shall be empowered to approve emergency expenditures to repair or replace fire and rescue equipment; provided that the expenditures are vital to public safety, such emergency expenditures are recommended by the Board of Engineers and the need for which becomes known subsequent to the joint budget workshop, described in Subsection D above.
G. 
No capital fire or rescue equipment that is or has been purchased in whole or in part using capital equipment funds shall be sold or disposed of in any manner without first obtaining Town Council approval. The Council shall receive all proceeds from any sale of such equipment and, at its sole discretion, the Council may return the money so received, in whole or in part, to the Town's general fund or to the company that has sold the equipment.
H. 
In the event that any of the Fire and Rescue Companies shall cease to exist or function, all of that Company's capital equipment that was purchased using Capital Equipment funds shall become the property of the Town.
I. 
All fire companies and rescue companies receiving Town funds shall maintain auditable records[1] of all income and expenditures of these funds and these records shall be made available for audit. Each entity shall also have a financial statement prepared annually by a licensed certified public accountant. That financial statement, along with the entity's annual tax return, shall be submitted to the Town Treasurer no later than October 15 of each fiscal year.
[Amended 11-2-2010]
[1]
Auditable records shall include, as a minimum, cash receipts journal, cash disbursement journal and a general ledger with all supporting documents.
J. 
Each fire and rescue company receiving Town funds shall adopt and maintain provisions in its bylaws to ensure compliance with this Section 902.
[Amended 11-2-2010]
There shall be a Highway Department, the head of which shall be the Public Works Director, who shall be appointed by the Council from among persons with administrative or management experience in public works, highway maintenance, or highway construction. The Public Works Director may be appointed to serve full time or part time as the Council shall determine, and may hold another position in the service of the Town; provided, however, that he or she shall not receive more than one salary. The Public Works Director shall be responsible for the operation of the Department and the discharge of its responsibilities which shall include the functions and services of the Town relative to highways and snow removal, the trimming of brush and trees along streets and roads and on Town property, trash disposal and the Town transfer station and recycling facilities, the maintenance of public buildings and public property, custodial services to the Town Hall and Louttit Library, and such other responsibilities as shall be assigned to the Department by the Council.
A. 
There shall be an Emergency Management Agency in the Town headed by an Emergency Management Director, who may be the Council President or any of the Town officials, who shall be appointed by the Council and who shall serve with no additional compensation. The Emergency Management Agency shall be comprised of all available resources of the Police Department, fire and rescue companies and Highway Department, which shall be activated upon the declaration of an emergency condition by the Council President.
B. 
The Town's Emergency Management Agency shall prepare for and respond to any declared emergency in accordance with Rhode Island General Laws 30-15 (Emergency Management) and applicable portions of the State Emergency Operation Plan, as promulgated by the State Emergency Management Agency.