East Providence Police Chief Joseph Tavares has filed a Human Rights Commission complaint against the City alleging discrimination, harassment and a hostile work environment.
The complaint, reported this afternoon by EastBayRI.com, was confirmed late today by EP Mayor James Briden and Tim Chapman, the City solicitor. Neither were able to comment on the complaint, since the matter is now in litigation.
The year has been a tumultuous one for Tavares. The East Providence Police Union voted no confidence in the Chief in July.
The vote came on the heels of a closed RI State Police investigation into alleged interference by two city council members in City Manager Peter Graczykowski's decision to put the chief on paid administrative leave last spring.
That investigation found no basis for criminal charges, primarily because the State Police got no cooperation from the two city councilors, Chrissy Rossi and Thomas Rose Jr., who are alleged to have influenced the city manager’s decision, according to State Police Lt. Col. Michael Winquist.
Tavares was reinstated by the East Providence Budget Commission, which was called back in at Briden's request after the chief's suspension.
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In a July 16 East Providence Patch report, City Manager Peter Graczykowski stated he also had no confidence in the Chief's ability to lead the department.
"Chief Tavares was placed on administrative leave effective April 15, 2013, as the City Manager lost confidence in the Chief's ability to continue to lead the East Providence Police Department. The two primary reasons that made that action necessary were administrative deficiencies and multiple personnel complaints alleging hostile work environment, some caused by the alleged claims of corruption within the Department. These reasons were communicated to the Police Chief verbally at the time of his suspension," Graczykowski wrote in a statement on the matter at the time.
Find out what's happening in East Providencewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
East Providence Patch will continue to follow this story as more information becomes available.
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