Providence police chief Perez pushes back on reinstatement of officer accused in assault of handcuffed man

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A Providence police sergeant has been cleared to return to work after being suspended without pay for five years.

Sergeant Joseph Hanley was arrested in 2020, after he was filmed kicking and beating Rishod Gore, who was handcuffed and down on the sidewalk.

A judge originally found Hanley guilty of assault during trial, but Hanley appealed, and the jury deadlocked on the case.

Hanley later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor simple assault charge.

According to the Boston Globe, a three-member, law enforcement officers’ bill of rights panel voted two-to-one to reinstate Hanley, giving him 45 days without pay, as opposed to outright firing him.

This is on top of the five years sergeant Hanley spent without pay.

One of the voices calling for Sergeant Hanley’s firing was Providence police chief, colonel Oscar Perez.

In the wake of Friday’s ruling, Chief Perez said he disagrees with the decision, writing in part:

When we can’t hold officers accountable, we put our community at risk and we lose the trust that we as a department work very hard to build.

Perez also re-affirmed that his officers will continue holding themselves to the highest standard.