Chief Thomas F. Oates III was appointed to the Woonsocket Police Department on July 31, 2016. The Woonsocket Police Department consists of more than 90 sworn officers as well as a support staff 20 civilian and dispatch employees. The City of Woonsocket, Rhode Island has a dense and diverse population of over 40,000 residents living within 8 square miles.
Prior to this present position Chief Oates was the Deputy Chief of the Providence Police Department. Providence is the capital City of the State of Rhode Island. The Providence Police Department is a Department with more than 450 sworn officers and over 100 civilian support staff providing police service to more than 180,000 residents. During his career of more than 36 years with the Providence Police Chief Oates worked his way up through the ranks serving in every Division at various ranks. Prior to being appointed to the Providence Police Chief Oates worked as a Police Officer in the Town of Smithfield, Rhode Island for 6 years.
The combined prior service along with his current position puts Chief Oates in his 47th year as a law enforcement officer in the State of Rhode Island. Serving in these 3 Departments varying greatly in size as well as policing vastly different demographics have provided a unique law enforcement career.
Chief Oates is the recipient of numerous commendations for excellent police work and devotion to duty, including a commendation for the apprehension of a suspect responsible for an armed robbery in while in service at the Providence Police Department. As a patrolman, he received the American Legion Award for outstanding police work for the rescue of a woman from a burning building in the Silver Lake section of Providence. He was also awarded the Chief’s Award for preventing a suicidal subject from jumping off a building.
Chief Oates has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Roger Williams University. He has participated in numerous outside agency seminars and training programs, some of which include: Training Seminar on police management taught at Babson College. He graduated from the DEA Drug Unit Commanders Academy. He is also the graduate of the FBI National Academy Session 208 and the FBI (LEEDS) Enforcement Executive Development Seminar Session 76 training program in Quantico, VA. A comprehensive training seminar at the Senior Management Institute for Police sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum in conjunction with the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University