Mayor, police union spar over interim chief

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The East Providence police union and the city are at odds over the city’s hiring of a Rhode Island State Police lieutenant as interim police chief in the wake of the retirement of Chief Hubert Paquette.

Members of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers - Local 569 planned to hold an informational picket Tuesday outside an East Providence City Council meeting. The meeting was scheduled for 7 p.m.

“Why bring in the state police? I still don’t understand why they are here,“ said union president John Rossi.

Rossi said an insider should be running the department.

“What we wanted was an outside look. For years and years, the union there has been running the department. There have been factions within the union,“ said City Council president and Mayor Joseph Larisa. “We’ve been getting report after report, and not only this council, but the last council about actions that have been taken there with respect to other police officers and favoritism allegations.“

Larisa said the union may be showing a united front, but the department is actually split in half following no confidence votes in the former chief. But with no criminal allegations, Rossi contends there is no reason for the state police to be in East Providence.

“Friday (May 8) was the most humiliating day in my career. In the 121 years of our history since the inception of this police department, our chiefs of police have always come from within,“ Rossi said.

The union said it’s not just tradition but part of the city’s collective bargaining agreement with police, and it sees no reason why it can’t happen, saying that there are plenty of qualified candidates.

“They want to break our union,“ Rossi said.

Larisa said the city can hire whoever it wants and that now may be the time to go outside of the department.

“What we want and the city manager wants is to have the best and the brightest,“ Larisa said. “We’re just asking for it not to be limited to an inside group of police officers, in which eight to 11 are eligible to apply, but to open it up. What are they afraid of?“

Rossi said union members remain unified and assured that the state police’s assessment will show that the department is well run.

The union also contends that the city is spending a lot more money by having the state police come in. Larisa said that’s not the case and that they are actually spending less.