WOONSOCKET, R.I. (AP) - A veteran law enforcement officer from Florida has been named to lead Woonsocket's police department.
     
Mayor Susan Menard announced on Wednesday that Major Thomas Carey of the St. Petersburg (Florida) Police Department will be sworn in as chief on September 15.
     
Menard says Carey distinguished himself in a field of 52 applicants. She says she wanted an outsider with no ties to Rhode Island who could give the department a "fresh start."
     
Carey is a native of Weymouth, Massachusetts, but has been with the St. Petersburg force for 25 years. He tells The Woonsocket Call he is "ecstatic" about his appointment.
     
Former Chief Michael Houle and Deputy Chief Richard Dubois resigned in March after Houle's ex-wife alleged that they changed scores on police exams to get her on the force.