Providence Police sergeant pleads no contest to assault charge

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Providence Police Sgt. Joseph Hanley pled no contest to a simple assault and battery charge stemming from an arrest made in 2020.

Hanley was originally accused of using excessive force against a handcuffed man, Rishod Gore, in April 2020.

He was found guilty in a trail that took place in 2021, but appealed the ruling.

The case was retried earlier in 2024, but the jury was deadlocked.

The Providence Police Department released the following statement on the plea:

We are currently operating under the provisions of the traditional Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.

Sgt. Hanley has requested a hearing, and pursuant to this request, we must initiate the process of assembling a hearing committee under the guidelines of the existing LEOBOR framework. Please note that the updated LEOBOR provisions will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

As part of this process, we will begin the preliminary steps to select the hearing panel, a task that may take between five to 30 days.

The chief’s recommendation in this matter is termination. Sgt. Hanley is currently on leave without pay.