NEW: Lombardi Responds to North Prov. Female Police Lieutenant's Complaint
GoLocalProv News Team
NEW: Lombardi Responds to North Prov. Female Police Lieutenant's Complaint
Lt. Diana Perez filed the petition with the HRC in July, naming Lombardi and two command staff as respondents, after she sent a personal memo to the Mayor months earlier outlining her concerns — and the union said Lombardi has not addressed the situation.
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“I also started an inquiry and investigation into the matter. We've got Marc DeSisto conducting the investigation,” said Lombardi. DeSisto was the special prosecutor in 2004 when then-reporter Jim Taricani was held in contempt - and jailed - for refusing to identify the person who gave him a videotape showing a top Providence official taking a bribe during the Cianci Administration.
“They're coming in Thursday to speak with me,” said Lombardi of the North Providence investigation. “We have an issue with the department. We have a union that will throw issues at the wall and hope they will stick.”
Contesting Union
“He's got a lot to say,” said Lombardi of union president Dennis Stone’s comments on the Perez situation. “He was just put on probation for four weeks by his peers — he is the last person who should be saying anything.”
“This is an outside investigation. And first of all, I’m not going to comment any further, that's advice from legal counsel — but my conscious is clear,” said Lombardi. “ Again, I called Lt. Perez, she never reached out to me, she said she didn't think it would go this far. So I turned it over to an independent attorney. In my honest opinion, she couldn't wait, and now she's being guided by a union that will do anything they can to take control.”
“And the grievances they’re filing, and the types of grievances they’re filing, in an effort to take the chief out, that's not fair to the taxpayers,” said Lombardi. “At the end of this inquiry, if there's evidence of wrongdoing, anyone who knows me knows I will deal with it harshly.”
Police Militarization - Department by Department Breakdown
Woonsocket
Items Purchased: 3
Summary of Equipment: Dump truck (1 unit), Snow plow plade (1 unit), Truck and tractor attachments (1 unit)
West Warwick
Items Purchased: 5
Summary of Equipment: Shotgun barrel (1 unit), Immersion suit (1 unit, can be used for underwater operations)
East Providence
Items Purchased: 10
Summary of Equipment: Radio sets (4 units), Miscellaneous vehicle parts (6 total units)
Scituate
Items Purchased: 12
Summary of Equipment: M84 charging handle (8 units, is part of a rifle)
Smithfield
Items Purchased: 15
Summary of Equipment: Small arms sling swivel (10 units), Optical reflex units (5 units)
Newport
Items Purchased: 17
Summary of Equipment: Digital computer systems (3 units), Flat panel monitors (10 units)
Barrington
Items Purchased: 43
Summary of Equipment: Binoculars (5 units), Ballistic protective spectacles (25 units), Sight mount (5 units)
Photo credit: Stanislas PERRIN
Cranston
Items Purchased: 49
Summary of Equipment: Armor Plate (1 unit), Survival vest pocksts (30 units)
Glocester
Items Purchased: 70
Summary of Equipment: High capacity rifle magazines (12 units), Ammunition-carrying vests (4 units), Ballistic protective spectacles (20 units)
North Kingstown
Items Purchased: 72
Summary of Equipment: High capacity rifle magazines (27 units), Small arms storage rack (5 units), Satellite systems navigation set (4 units)
East Greenwich
Items Purchased: 99
Summary of Equipment: Binoculars (10 units), Ballistic and laser protective spectacles (53 units), Ballistic protective spectables (30 unites)
Hopkinton
Items Purchased: 100
Summary of Equipment: High capacity rifle magazines (100 units)
Foster
Items Purchased: 257
Summary of Equipment: Ballistic and laser protective spectacles (6 units), Rifle bipods (10 units), Field pack (10 units, designed for clothing rations, and additional items like ammunition), Passenger motor vehicles (3 units)
Coventry
Items Purchased: 1,604
Summary of Equipment: HMMWV (Humvee) M1165 Assembly Kit (2 units), Gun magazines (432 units), Night vision face masks (8 units), Gun silencers (54), Small arms sight mounts (6 units)
Johnston
Items Purchased: 2,389
Summary of Equipment: Armor plates (30 units), Demolition firing device (1 unit), Improvised Explosive Device training it (9 units), High capacity rifle magazines (599 units), Chemical protective suit (1 unit), High-speed tractor (1 unit), Diesel generators (2 units), Flat panel monitors (21 units)
