Next Providence Police Chief Search: Smiley Sends Out Survey to 600
GoLocalProv News Team
Next Providence Police Chief Search: Smiley Sends Out Survey to 600
The survey was sent out by Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s office.
The eight-question online survey was sent to 600 — those that Smiley’s chief of staff Emily Crowell said have interacted with the city. The city of Providence has a population of more than 189,000.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“The email that went out tonight was specifically distributed to folks who have interacted with community relation team members in the city in the past and includes roughly 600 folks,” said Crowell.
Crowell said Smiley is also planning to have a community meeting.
She said the list was likely to include non-city residents, including business owners and those who work in the city. See the Survey HERE.
The first question of the survey asks, “What are the most important goals for the next Chief of Police?”
The optional responses include the following:
- Managing PPD resources responsibly
- Building trust with community members
- Responding to crime
- Recruiting and retaining diverse officers
- Ensuring respectful, consistent policing in all communities
- Increasing training for PPD officers
- Other (please specify)
But what isn’t asked may be more insightful — the survey does not ask about the development or expertise in crime prevention strategies.
The other attribute that was not asked was “honesty.”
The city could not provide a copy of the list.
Smiley announced a process to include the input of city residents.
One of Smiley's Top Candidates Embroiled in Controversy
In December, GoLocal unveiled the background of one of Smiley’s leading candidates to fill the void of long-standing Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements. He rejected Smiley’s offer to continue as chief. This week U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced that Colonel Hugh T. Clements Jr. has been appointed to serve as the new Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). The COPS Office is the component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing the practice of community policing across the country.
GoLocal's December article unveiled that one of Smiley's front-running candidates was Dean Isabella, at the time, he was the Chief of police in Seekonk, MA.
GoLocal reported on Isabella's prosecution nearly 25 years ago and his efforts to secure the Providence Chief's job. Seekonk town officials have since fired Isabella, and he has filed a subsequent lawsuit against the town.
Donations and Meetings
GoLocal this month reported that Isabella gave multiple campaign donations to Smiley and that the two spoke on a number of occasions.
Isabella gave four donations to the Smiley campaign for Mayor. It is fairly unusual for a police chief in one state to give donations to a mayor for a candidate for mayor in another state.
Smiley confirmed to GoLocal in a text that he and Isabella met and that the Seekonk Chief attended one of his fundraisers
"I spoke to him not more than three other times in the last two years," confirmed Smiley.
When reached in late December about being among the names being mentioned for Providence Police Chief, Isabella said he “didn’t know anything about it.”
“There’s a lot of rumors,” said Isabella.
“I haven’t been contacted about the position — I’m honored that anyone would consider me for [it],” said Isabella. “I’m happy of being the Chief in Seekonk. It’s been a great opportunity.”
But, WPRI reported that while Isabella told GoLocal he was not a candidate, a letter seeking the Providence Police chief's job drafted by Isabella was found on his computer -- dated that same day.
When asked about the plea deal from 1998, Isabella said told GoLocal in December that he had “no comment.”
Nearly 25 years ago, Isabella was in the headlines in Providence — for being indicted on two felony counts.
In May of 1998, Isabella was indicted on two felony counts of misappropriating funds from a Police Department account.
Richard Dujardin for The Providence Journal reported the following:
“Isabella, 35, of 10 Wood Driver Lane, West Greenwich, is accused of unlawfully withdrawing money from the Police Department's Bureau of Licenses for his own personal benefit by twice writing and cashing checks totaling $3,100 made out to ‘cash.’
Gregg Perry, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said the indictments grew out of information obtained from the Providence Police Department's own internal-affairs unit, which started its own investigation into Isabella's check-cashing activities several weeks ago.
Isabella, who has been in the news frequently in the past two years as the officer in charge of the three-member unit that investigates bars and adult-entertainment establishments, is alleged to have cashed checks for himself on Feb. 14 and April 7 last year.
Although Isabella was found to have returned the money to the account before the internal-affairs panel completed its investigation, the panel nonetheless believed there was sufficient evidence of wrongdoing on Isabella's part to bring the case to the attorney general, according to Perry.”
In October 2018, Isabella pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges.
“Unlike most no-contest pleas, Isabella did not acknowledge that he did anything wrong,” reported Jonathan Rockoff for the Providence Journal. “As a result of the agreement, Isabella loses his sergeant's rank but not his job.”
Rockoff wrote:
“Before Superior Court Judge Ronald R. Gagnon, Isabella pleaded no contest to two counts of misappropriating funds under $1,000. On each count, he received six months' probation.
Isabella waived the Bill of Rights hearing that police officers must receive when facing criminal accusations. And he lost his sergeant's rank, as well as half a patrolman's pay that he had lost since being suspended May 4.
But Isabella will receive the other half of his pay, and he can apply to become a sergeant the next time a position opens up. In addition, he did not have to admit in court that he did anything wrong, as normally happens.”
Editor's Note: GoLocal did not report on the Isabella charges at the time as GoLocal was not founded until 12 years later in 2010.