RIBLIA Caucus Statement on LEOBOR Panel’s ruling to allow for Sgt. Hanley to return to the Providence Police Department

“We demand the long overdue repeal of the Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability and Transparency Act... The decision to reinstate Sgt. Joseph Hanley is indefensible..."

RIBLIA Caucus Statement on LEOBOR Panel’s ruling to allow for Sgt. Hanley to return to the Providence Police Department:

“We, the Rhode Island Black, Latino, Indigenous, and Asian American (RIBLIA) Caucus members, condemn the outcome of Sgt. Joseph Hanley’s LEOBOR trial in the strongest possible terms. The decision to allow Hanley to return to work in a community where he has perpetrated harm does nothing but sow seeds of mistrust between residents and police.

“We demand the long overdue repeal of the Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability and Transparency Act in the 2025-26 legislative session. The decision to reinstate Sgt. Joseph Hanley is indefensible.

“As Providence Commander O’Hara stated in his dissenting vote, Hanley is ‘a man prone to volatility, a man prone to violence.’ He is not the type of representation any Police Department would want. His record and video-recorded actions speak for themselves.

“In April 2020, body camera footage captured Sgt. Hanley brutally assaulting Rishod Gore, a young Black man who was handcuffed, defenseless, and posed no threat. The video was clear.

“Yet after years of public outcry, a criminal conviction for assault, and opposition from within the Providence Police Department and two Providence Mayors, the LEOBOR panel handed down a mere 45-day suspension and welcomed Sgt. Hanley back into his position with no more than a slap on the wrist.

“This outcome reinforces what so many Black and Brown Rhode Islanders already know: the scales of justice are not equal when it comes to citizens and police and the current system of police accountability is broken beyond reform.

“LEOBOR is one of the reasons why. Real accountability cannot exist while officers are judged by a jury of their peers behind closed doors in a process designed to insulate them from consequences. When the General Assembly reconvenes, members of the RIBLIA Caucus will be revisiting legislation to repeal LEOBOR once and for all.

“Following this wrongful ruling, we are calling on Providence Mayor Brett Smiley to immediately appeal this ruling.

“We also urge Speaker Shekarchi and President Lawson to include a repeal of the Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability and Transparency Act in their legislative priorities for 2026.

“We also ask that chamber leadership, Chairs of the Senate and House Judiciary committee, RIBLIA Caucus Co-Chairs, RI ACLU, and a representative from the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office work in the off session to prepare a criminal justice reform package to be introduced no later than February 2026.

“We will not accept a system that allows violence against our neighbors and a system that is an outlier in our region and in the country. LEOBOR must be repealed.

“The RIBLIA Caucus represents and advocates for the interests of people of color throughout the State of Rhode Island. Through legislative advocacy and community engagement, the RIBLIA Caucus is dedicated to building a more inclusive and representative government that reflects the diversity of Rhode Island residents.”

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Representative David Morales (Democrat, District 7, Providence) and Senator Tiara Mack (Democrat, District 6, Providence) co-chair the caucus.