SCITUATE — Hinting broadly that he may soon return to public life, perhaps as a political candidate, State Police Col. Brendan Doherty announced Thursday that he is retiring effective April 1.
Both Doherty and Gov. Lincoln Chafee’s office denied that friction between Doherty and Chafee — who were at odds over the Providence Police Department’s decision to opt out of the federal Secure Communities Program — led to Doherty’s seemingly abrupt decision to step down.
