ACLU suing city of Pawtucket over alleged illegal search of firefighters’ lockers

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island is suing the City of Pawtucket, accusing police of illegally searching firefighters’ lockers.

The complaint said the fire chief was complicit in all of this, sending firefighters out of the station while the search took place.

The ACLU filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of five Pawtucket firefighters, Noah LeBlanc, Stephen Garlick, Manuel Benevides, Scott McDonald, and Steven Como.

The ACLU argues that the search of their personal lockers violates the Fourth Amendment and its protection from unreasonable searches.

Richard Sinapi is one of the volunteer attorneys representing the firefighters on behalf of the ACLU. He told ABC 6 News that the firefighters have two lockers, one for work and one for personal use while working long shifts at the station.

“Toiletries, wallets, credit cards, personal financial information, letters, what have you — and that’s their home away from home and their personal lockers are their personal space,” Sinapi explained.

According to Sinapi, the searches performed by Pawtucket police and approved by Fire Chief John Trenteseaux, were done without a warrant, without consent, and also done with the firefighters off sight.

“They didn’t even get a warrant to search his locker, you know why? Because I don’t think they had probably cause to search his locker,” Sinapi continued.

The search came after police obtained a search warrant for Pawtucket firefighter Patrick White’s car, based on a complaint that he was illegally transporting firearms.

White was arrested in August for carrying a pistol or revolver without a license, as well as having large capacity feeding devices.

“That doesn’t give probably cause even reasonable suspicion to search the firehouse, certainly not the private lockers in private areas of 11, 10 other firefighters that have no relationship to the suspicion that somebody might have an unlicensed firearm in their motor vehicle,” Sinapi explained further.

Mayor Donald Grebien’s office released a statement Monday that reads, “In late August, former firefighter Patrick White was arrested for two counts of illegal possession of a firearm and two counts of possession of prohibited high-capacity magazines outside of a Pawtucket fire station. Following the arrest, a new, separate concern was raised by fellow firefighters that there may be more firearms in the shared locker area. Thankfully, the police department responded and no tragic incidents occurred.”

The attorneys representing the firefighters say nothing was found during the search of lockers at the fire station.

Danilo Borgas, the second volunteer attorney on the case said the five firefighters are not seeking damages, but rather, trust.

“For them it’s not just a violation of the fourth amendment right, the right to privacy but this trust that was breached between the fire chief and the firefighters and it’s important for them to restore that so they can go out and fulfill their duties and their services to the public without having to worry about what’s going on at the fire station,” Borgas concluded.