Officer who arrested Ruggerio is Barrington’s top cop on DUIs
April 4th, 2012 at 6:00 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes
By Tim White
BARRINGTON, R.I. (WPRI) – The police officer who pulled over and arrested Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio for drunk driving has one of the highest arrest and conviction rates for DUI cases at the Barrington Police Department.
Patrolman Walter Larson is credited with 16 of the 50 DUI arrests made in Barrington last year, according to Barrington Police Chief John LaCross. All of the arrests came during his first year on the job as a police officer.
As a result, Larson was recommended for several awards including the National Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award for “Outstanding Drunk Driving Enforcement,” LaCross said.
Larson was thrust into the political spotlight last week after another driver called 911 to report a car swerving on Wampanoag Trail just after midnight. Police say Ruggerio, D-Providence, was behind the wheel and drunk when they pulled him over. His license was suspended by the Traffic Tribunal on Tuesday.
Tags: barrington, barrington police department, dominick ruggerio, drunk driving, john lacross
Nesi's Notes covers politics and the economy in and around Rhode Island for WPRI.com. (Twitter: 
Please remember that this law maker is one of the chosen ones, and they are above the law! Hopefully some lawyer in the future can do this for the average people. By the way where is MADD on this matter????????????
How come Ciccone was not charged with Obstruction?The slob showed up out of nowhere.Was Ciccone driving smashed in another car?If this is a top cop Barrington is in trouble.Paiva Weed-Ciccone-Ruggeiro should all resign.The condom thief and drunk driver is a total joke of a human being.
My child was arrested for DUI in Barrington last year. I was pleased – he deserved everything they did to him and he suffered greatly ( as he should), learning a big life lesson.
He blew, he was cuffed,he got ONE call ( not private) he was put in jail, his car was towed ( my car) and he was hauled off to court.
It has cost me over $3000 which he is still paying back. It was a great thing, really called him to the table and to be accountable.
But, as is always the case in RI, rules are different for politicians. I cannot understand why Ruggerio who failed the field test was not hit with DUI (a felony), why he got a special secret traffic tribunal deal and …where did that other drunk(Ciccone )come from? I mean if he was driving himself shouldn’t he have been charged?
I LOVE the DUI enforcement, all good. What hurts is the inconsistency – one thing for the little man and another for the GA. Its a metaphor for the state , really, and the reason the unemployment rate is stuck at 11%. Who would move a business to a place where the rule of law is circumvented on a routine basis. Very very sad….