Review Panel Finds Abuse By Prov. Police Sergeant, ACLU Calls for Enforcement of Use of Body Cameras

Review Panel Finds Abuse By Prov. Police Sergeant, ACLU Calls for Enforcement of Use of Body Cameras

A Providence review panel found that Providence Police Sergeant Joseph Hanley was abusive during an April 19, 2020 response to a domestic violence incident.

According to the findings of the Providence External Review Authority (PERA), Hanley violated a number of police standards. PERA found that by ”using video from the [body worn camera] and the cell phone footage, Sergeant Hanley is observed in the following acts after the complainant is in handcuffs and lying on the ground in the prone position:

• Kneeling on the back of his neck/shoulder (Sergeant Hanley appears to use the open car door as support, lift his supporting foot off the ground bearing his full weight on the complainant’s neck and shoulder)

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• Punch to the ribs (left side)

• Kick to the rib area

• Kick to the head

• Walking on the back of the complainant’s lower legs

• NOTE: During the assault(s) Sergeant Hanley continued to verbally taunt the complainant."

PERA's seven-page report numerous violations and failure by other officers on the scene to intervene when Hanley became abusive.

“The report issued by the Providence External Review Authority about the pending assault case involving Sgt. Joseph Hanley is deeply troubling for a number of reasons. Not only does the report describe assaultive behavior toward a handcuffed suspect, but it also details the unconscionable failure of other officers to restrain Sgt. Hanley while he allegedly engaged in this conduct," said Steven Brown, Executive Director of the ACLU of Rhode Island.

“However, we think it is also important not to overlook another finding of the report: the failure of Providence police officers to take seriously their obligation to use their body-worn cameras when interacting with the public.  In clear violation of departmental policy, two of the three officers on the scene of the incident, including Sgt. Hanley, did not record their encounter with the suspect," said Brown.   

In July, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza called for Hanley's firing. 

Elorza said in his statement: 

Our policing approach in Providence is centered first and foremost in building trust with our residents and this incident fails to represent the core values of our Police Department.

After a review of the circumstances and working with the Attorney General's office, we made sure that charges were brought against the officer involved immediately.

We have recommended termination of this officer, however this case must go through the LEOBOR process which will take six months or longer to complete.

As this process continues, we are focused on bringing justice to the victim, holding this officer accountable for his actions, and above all, rebuilding trust within our community.

 

Failure to Use Body Cameras

“Unfortunately, it is clear this is not an anomaly. In another highly publicized incident in June, one of two officers involved in a controversial guns-drawn encounter with a Black firefighter in front of his fire station failed to activate his camera. According to the response we received to an Access to Public Records Act request, this is not surprising. Between January 2018 and June 2020, only 20 Providence officers were disciplined for failing to activate their body cameras, and none received anything more than a verbal reprimand for this indisputable violation of departmental policy, said Brown.

“The City’s purchase and use of body-worn cameras was supposed to promote transparency and accountability. Yet these two recent incidents – and the police department’s continued refusal to release the body camera footage from the one officer who recorded the Hanley incident – tell a different story. The body camera policy is regularly flouted, violations are rarely punished, and the transparency these cameras were supposed to provide the public is ignored. We urge the City Council to take action to codify strong standards on the use of these cameras and on the public’s ability to access the recordings in a timely manner,” added Brown.