State police report: Cranston Police Dept. torn by power struggles

By: Alexandra Cowley 

acowley@abc6.com 

The Rhode Island State Police has released the findings of its investigation into the corruption at the Cranston police department. The 182 page report cites a lack of leadership, political interference, and personnel problems. 

It was just last week Colonel Steven O' Donnell released a letter to Cranston Mayor Allan Fung summarizing the state police investigation into the city's troubled police department. The damaging letter pointed to the mayor and a lack of leadership within the department as the causes for the downfall.

"I was kind of shocked I didn't realize how much interference from the mayor's office and how the former police chief was running his organization,” said City Council President John Lanni."I don't want to paint the Mayor with a brush and just make him look completely bad but I want answers. I want his explanations and I think the taxpayers of Cranston have the right to know exactly what transpired,”

On Monday, we received the detailed 182 page report of interviews with Cranston police officers which revealed "a department in turmoil, hampered by a lack of leadership."

"A lot of very disappointing things. A lot of mismanagement. A lot of things that we were told that really didn't happen,” said city councilor Mario Aceto.

The report goes on to say "We found numerous examples of officers who were harassed and retaliated against. There was inappropriate interference, inconsistent action from Mayor Fung, Colonel Marco Palombo, and other city officials."

You may remember state police stepped in to take over the department after the parking ticket scandal in November of 2013, where Cranston police Captain Stephen Antonucci allegedly ordered a massive parking ticket sweep in the district of two council members who voted against a new police union contract. Antonucci later made a deal to have the charges against him dropped as long as he resigned.

The report describes the department as having been run by an unfair regime led by Chief Palombo, Mayor Fung, and then police union president Antonucci. It says those in power targeted people who disagreed with their practices, receiving unjust punishment. 

Because of this unethical culture, the report says the department was torn by power struggles, hurting the morale of the other officers, and tarnishing the departments reputation.

Chief Palombo was forced to retire amid the parking ticket investigation. He walked away with a full pension. 

Read the full report here.

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