Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Several officers plan to picket outside of City Hall Tuesday evening because the City Council, which meets at 7:30 p.m., and City Manager Richard Brown recently appointed a State Police lieutenant as the department's interim chief rather than naming someone from the department.

Members of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 569 say Maj. Donald Dubois and more than a half dozen others are qualified and could easily fill in while the city searches for a permanent replacement for Hubert Paquette, who retired May 8.

And with the city as cash-strapped as officials say it is, union leaders assert the in-house choice wouldn't have cost East Providence any additional money.

State Police Lt. Raymond Studley, a 1983 graduate of East Providence High School, and a corporal he brought in to be his aide cost the city $3,419 a week, union president John Rossi said. Rossi said Dubois was "fine" with doing his job, along with the temporary position, without a salary increase. Dubois' weekly salary is $1,750.

"That's double," Rossi said. "And they've done away with a 122-year history of [choosing interims from within] without good reason."

In addition, Rossi said according to a city ordinance the next in line should be acting chief during a chief's absence. Dubois filed for a temporary restraining order May 7 to bar Studley -- who began May 8 -- from coming, but Superior Court Judge Michael A. Silverstein said city officials were within their rights to appoint whoever they want because a retirement isn't the same as an absence.

"Absence to me is the state of not being there," Rossi said. "Chief Paquette isn't there."

Rossi said there is also language in the current contract that explains the city must appoint from within unless there are "unusual circumstances," such as when no one from within wants the job or meets the minimum requirements for the position or if the department was under investigation for corruption.

"None of these unusual circumstances exist," he said.

He also said there are 11 current officers who meet the minimum requirements listed in the already posted advertisement. Applications are due in to City Hall Friday.

Yet Mayor Joseph Larisa Jr. plans to discuss issues with internal candidates at the meeting. The subject listed in the agenda reads, "Update on new police search -- all applicants welcome (some problems with "insider" candidates)."

The informational picket will begin at 6 p.m. while the open session of the meeting begins at 7:30 p.m.

 Tags  East Providence Police Department East Providence RI

Comments

Tom said:

Seemed right to bring in the State Police, the law also says that a State Police Lt can serve as acting Chief of Police.

Some departments benefit when an outsider arrives, to get things back on track. East Providence seems the perfect candidate. Looks like the tail is used to wagging the dog and it cannot work that way. The members seem hypersensitive, often feeling like poor victims, when they should remember they are there to serve and obey, albeit at very high salaries. This picket is another example of wacky behavior only convincing others all the more why the individual favored by the rank and file should not get the job. They need a good boss to straighten the place out.

And they do not seem too ready to obey and do as they are told, they seem ready to tell the city just how things are going to work, and that will not work. They are beginning to act like boobs. No one cares that a State Police Trooper is in charge, NO ONE, except those who do not wish to obey. Smarten up boys, you look idiotic.

Link | May 19, 2009 5:58 PM
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Robert said:

A bunch of big, over-paid babies.

Link | May 19, 2009 8:03 PM
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Jodi said:

I agree with the other two posters. Sometimes you just need to bring in someone with a clearer vision to straighten things out. As a fromer resident of EP for decades, it is about time there was some strong leadership to keep things in line and not an "insider" to keep the sttus quo.

Link | May 20, 2009 10:41 AM
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