Police Chief's Resignation Reportedly Sought Before Placed on Leave

East Providence’s city manager asked the police chief to sign a separation agreement intended to force him to resign involuntarily before he placed him on paid administrative leave in April, according to his attorney.

Tom McAndrew said in a story in The Times last week that City Manager Peter Graczykowski presented Police Chief Joseph Tavares with a separation agreement that he was to sign within 21 days or be terminated.

And Tavares was not given a reason for the termination or that an investigation into reported allegations made against him was to be conducted, McAndrew said.

McAndrew also repeated in The Times story that the believes the complaints were made by disgruntled members of the police department and “political shenanigans” by former and current members of the City Council who have never been happy with the East Providence native's appointment three years ago after serving more than 25 years in Warwick.

Tavares was returned to duty by the East Providence Budget Commission on May 24 after it said it found no wrongdoing on the part of the police chief after the results of an investigation conducted by the human resources director, Kathleen Waterbury, and attorney Mike Ursillo.

A Patch story that was posted right after Tavares was reinstated by he Budget Commission on May 23 said: “The Commission has determined, based upon the totality of facts and circumstances brought to its attention in this matter, that i) those faces and circumstances did not warrant Chief Tavares being placed on Administrative Leave; and ii) nor did those facts and circumstances warrant any disciplinary action against Chief Tavares…”

In short, the board said he was wrongly accused.

At the same meeting, the Budget Commission assigned a RI State Police officer to investigate alleged improprieties and irregularities in the police department that are unrelated to the police chief’s job performance.

“After consultation with Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, Col. Steven O’Donnell, the Commission and Col. O’Donnell agreed that a member of the RI State Police will be assigned to the East Providence Police Department to investigate any alleged improprieties and/or irregularities; assist and support Chief Tavares with the management of the Police Department while the investigation is ongoing, and address or assist with an other issues that Chief Tavares and the State Police deem necessary.”

Steve Bannon, a State Police officer on the Budget Commission, said those “improprieties and allegations” in the police department could be “criminal in nature.” But he did not elaborate.

McAndrew said then that the accusations made against Tavares are “a political agenda manufactured by a few people in and out of the department…who are still upset with his appointment” in 2009 and who “put immense pressure on a city manager without a contract” to act against the police chief.

“The city is lucky to have this man,” McAndrew said. “He’s a superstar and a first-class gentleman.” 

Graczykowski said in a prepared statement: “I am disappointed. There was justification for the action I took, and multiple outstanding issues still are not being addressed.” He did not elaborate on what those issues are.

Graczykowski also said he could not comment on McAndrew’s accusation that his decision to put Tavares on administrative leave was part of a political agenda fueled by a few police and city officials. 

“It doesn’t exist,” he said. “How can I comment on something that doesn’t exist?”