RHODE ISLAND – The three state law enforcement agencies under Rhode Island’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) have utilized differing recruitment techniques with equally differing budgets, which has rendered some interesting results amid the funding disparities.
Between the Sheriffs Division, the State Police, and the Capitol Police in Rhode Island which fall under the state’s DPS, the three agencies deployed recruitment efforts this past year with varying allocated funding which saw a hodgepodge of mixed results.
The most heavily funded of the three agencies, Rhode Island’s State Police, reportedly utilized a $100k ad campaign that ran from July through September, utilizing an ad agency that pushed out billboards and various digital advertisements to join the academy. Overall, 296 applicants came through the proverbial doors leading to 23 individuals being hired for next March’s academy.
Chief Sheriff Paul Martellini of the state’s Sheriffs Division apparently has seen this development as an opportunity to boast a little regarding his recruitment efforts in 2026, saying of the matter, “I’ve busted a little bit of their chops,” considering his ad spend was considerably lower than the State Police’s.
The Sheriffs Division reportedly saw 342 applications come in for the February 2026 academies, leading to 11 graduates this past April, as well as 300 applications for the October academy which led to 13 spots being filled. The overall cost behind the recruitment campaign between the two classes was just over $75k, which the Sheriffs Division relied mostly on a mix of social media, billboards, buses, radio adverts, and newspapers.
While the Sheriffs Division saw over twice as many applicants come through on an ad spend approximately $25k less than their law enforcement partners in the State Police, the most curious recruitment case stems from the Capitol Police.
Apparently, given the comparatively small size of the Capitol Police in contrast to the other two DPS-led agencies, their allocated advertising budget for recruits is zero dollars. Given the lacking budget to advertise openings within the agency, the Capitol Police reportedly rely heavily on social media postings to alert would-be applicants of openings.
With zero funding to advertise, the Capitol Police still managed to have 90 applicants come in for their 2026 academy. While eleven vacancies remain within the aforementioned agency, they were able to onboard six recruits who are currently in training through the cash-free advertising which will bring the vacancy count down to five. Meanwhile, the Sheriffs Division still has 22 active vacancies which they hope to drive down to five by Fiscal Year 2028, and the State Police still hosts 24 active vacancies following their recruitment efforts.
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