Amy Vincenzi pins a badge on the shirt of her husband, Lincoln Deputy Police Chief Scott Vincenzi during a ceremony Wednesday at the Lincoln Town Hall.  Call photo/Butch Adams

By JON BAKER

LINCOLN — Amy Vincenzi has known her husband of 18 months for 12 years now, so nothing he does surprises her.

When former Lincoln Police Lt. Scott Vincenzi chose not to issue a speech during his swearing-in ceremony as the new deputy chief at Town Hall’s council chambers late Wednesday afternoon, she chuckled: “That’s typical Scott. He’s really quiet, and doesn’t like to be the center of attention.
“He actually told me he wished this (fete) could have been done in a private office,” she added. “This kind of thing just isn’t his style.”
Providing protection for the town’s residents and others, however, is something in which Vincenzi revels. That’s why Town Administrator T. Joseph Almond stated during his introduction of the new deputy that “he obviously has the respect of his fellow officers and the entire law enforcement community.
“Scott is a great selection, and he’s more than deserving,” Almond beamed afterward. “He has, for 21 years, accomplished everything we’ve wanted as a police officer and administrator. He’s really earned this promotion, and I know he’s going to make the Town of Lincoln proud.”
Those in attendance included an array of dignitaries, among them Fr. Joseph Haggar, chaplain to the town’s
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police department (also Central Falls Police and Fire); council members Keith Macksoud and Ronald McKenna; former Lincoln Police Chief William Strain; Supreme Court Justice William E. Carnes; North Smithfield Police Chief Steven Reynolds; town department heads; and retired and current officers.
Among his family members: Vincenzi’s mother, Phyllis; two brothers, Kenneth and John (with the latter’s wife Beverly); his sister Sharon (and husband Donald Brown); and in-laws Frank and Linda Holobowicz, also Lincoln residents.
Police Chief Brian Sullivan initiated the event, which didn’t create the same kind of pomp and circumstance Sullivan himself received when he accepted his slot just seven months ago.
In his speech, he conveyed a message often delivered by retired Lt. Col. David Grossman, an Arkansas resident, when he travels the land as a law enforcement trainer. It concerned Grossman’s simplified view of society, as related to animals.
“The Lt. Col. says that most people are … well, like sheep, and that’s not a bad thing,” Sullivan stated. “They’re kind and gentle, and they don’t want to hurt anybody or anything. Then there are people who act as wolves, who are evil and feed on them without mercy, and ponder evil deeds. He also relates in his metaphor that we have the sheepdogs, who watch over their flock and protect from such wolves -- that is, they have genuine concern for their fellow citizens. Scott is an outstanding example of a sheepdog.
“He’s a warrior,” he added after the ceremony’s conclusion. “I’ll tell you, he’s an outstanding leader, a good listener, knows how to decipher information and accepts responsibility.
“Yes, he’s a very quiet individual, but he mandates that his colleagues, his fellow officers, accept their own responsibility. He’s fair, honest and trustworthy.”
Those traits came through crystal-clear during oral and written examinations.
“Scott was the only one to sign up for the position when it was posted back on July 16 (the deadline to register)” Sullivan said. “I know Joe (Almond) said that others were qualified to do so, but that others declined to pursue it because of Scott’s qualifications. Still, he had a lot of hurdles to overcome with all the testing. I believe that speaks volumes to Scott Vincenzi’s character. He accepted the challenge as if there were 15 other candidates.
“I don’t know what his final score was, but I do know he only missed one or two questions on both,” he added. “It was a very high score.”
After accepting congratulations from a long line of fellow officers and others -- and posing for photos with loved ones -- Amy beckoned her husband to speak with a reporter.
“The testing was a different situation because I was the only candidate; it was strange,” said Vincenzi, 43. “I knew a lot of other people (within the department) were qualified and very capable of doing the job. I was kind of surprised when no one else registered, and by what Joe Almond had said in the press, but it made me feel good. It was very humbling.
“I have a lot of respect for the men and women I work with,” he continued. “I’m looking forward to working beside Chief Sullivan to further the police department, tighten everything up and bring even more professionalism to it. I just want to do the best job I can. I’ve been afforded the opportunity to take this position, and I hope to live up to the ideals of it.
“I’d love to adequately fill the shoes of past deputies, like Brian, Russell Ridge and John Shay.”
Vincenzi, recently inducted into the Lincoln High Athletic Hall of Fame as an All-State football and track star, graduated from the Old River Road institution in 1982, then earned a Bachelor’s in political science from Rhode Island College in 1986. Later, he received an Associate of Arts in criminal justice from the Community College of Rhode Island in 1995.
He began his career in law enforcement with the Lincoln police force, being sworn in as a patrolman on Feb. 29, 1988, then was promoted to sergeant on April 22, 1998.
In his last role as lieutenant, his responsibilities included acting as a prosecutor within the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal, and as an officer to the Rhode Island Municipal Court, all the while being the Lt. Day Commander for his own department.
At the end of the ceremony, Sullivan smiled, noting, “Scott is a man of very few words, so declined to give a speech.” When he went to shake Vincenzi’s hand, the deputy saluted his chief, then grabbed Sullivan’s right hand, flashing a wide grin.
“I’m very happy by his appointment,” Sullivan offered. “This gives me somebody to delegate authority to, and somebody in which to receive feedback and talk to as a partner. It’s almost like he’s my co-captain, since we both played Lincoln football.”