Portsmouth Police Dedicate Community Room To Former Chief

PORTSMOUTH, RI — The community room of the Portsmouth Police Department's new station was officially dedicated to the department's former chief on Thursday. The Colonel Thomas F. Lee Community Room serves as a reminder of the retired chief's dedication to the department and the community.

The department gathered on Thursday afternoon to celebrate "all his contributions to the police department and the community."

"The Thomas. F. Lee Community Room is now official!" the department wrote on Facebook.

Lee announced his retirement in May after six years at the department's helm and more than three decades of service.

"Every good leader works on developing and mentoring his subordinates for when it's their turn to run the organization," Lee said at the time. "I believe that time has now come. We have many strong young leaders in this agency who can continue driving change in the future and deserve their chance."

Around the same time that Lee announced his retirement, the department was preparing to christen the new police station, which opened to the public on May 31.

In June, the department announced that a familiar face would be returning to the force to fill Lee's shoes: former Deputy Chief Brian Peters. A 20-year veteran of the department, Peters went on to serve as the interim chief in Bristol after Chief Josue Canario announced he would be going on medical leave before officially retiring on May 9.