Prov FOP Demands Apology for Police Officers From Firefighters Union for “Inflammatory” Statements

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

GoLocalProv News Team

 

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Just hours after Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare placed the blame on the police for an incident between two Providence Police officers and a Providence firefighter nearly two weeks ago, the Providence Police union is demanding an apology from the firefighters union for the two officers.

Derek Silva President of the Providence Fire Fighters IAFF local 799 had charged, "This situation makes clear that even in uniform - a young black man is not immune from the impact of systemic, institutional racism. While we value our working relationship with the Providence Police, and know there are many officers who are working to change police culture, this incident proves that there is more work to be done."

FOP Blasts Pare and Silva - Demand Apology

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“Both Officers are owed a public apology from the Firefighter’s Union President and those public officials who made inflammatory statements regarding PPD officers without the facts. While the Firefighter may have been traumatized by the incident, all of our 420+ Officers were traumatized that night by the false allegations and statements, while ensuring the peace at the protest that night, which could have erupted into violence given recent events of the previous Monday,” said the FOP.

"However, Commissioner Pare has unfortunately chosen to ignore the fact that the Firefighter’s main allegations have been wholly disproven, completely resolving our Police Officers of any wrongdoing with respect to those allegations," said the FOP.

Pare's Report

In a press conference on Zoom held Tuesday afternoon, Pare said both police officers made errors and one faces discipline.

"[Nathaniel Collici] ordered [ Terrell Paci] a forceful command to remain in the car," said Pare, of the incident in which police officers believed they were investigating a report of a car that matched the description of one involved with a robbery. 

"[Paci] identified himself as a Providence police officer out of nerves. He then tells the officer he’s a firefighter. Within seconds, Colicci shuts down his body camera. Sandorse never engaged his body cam," said Pare.

"Sandorse will be held accountable and disciplined for not engaging his body camera," said Pare. "It was an unfortunate interaction -- a firefighter sitting in a car that fit the description of robbery suspects."

Pare said that following Paci identifying himself as a firefighter, that Colacci moved on to search for the robbery suspects, and that he believes is was Sandorse's subsequent search of the vehicle that angered Paci.

"I believe that subsequent to that encounter there could have been better judgment used when it concluded particularly with the search," said Pare. "The officer had a legal right to search — better discretion could have been used. This caused the incident that caused the black firefighter to feel he was treated differently because of his race."

See body camera video at the bottom of the story.

FOP Point By Point -- READ THE FULL FOP STATEMENT

The Providence FOP released the following statement on Tuesday:

As we stated on June 6, 2020, the Providence Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #3 wholeheartedly disagreed with the allegations of misconduct which were publicly leveled by a Providence Firefighter on the local news and on social media against our Police Officers. 

We gathered the facts and information which accurately told what happened on that night and which vindicates our Officers from wrongdoing, and we released those facts showing that the allegations were untrue.  Now, the Police Department has finally released those same true facts, as supported by available police body camera video, and has publicly made clear that our Officers acted appropriately.   

However, Commissioner Pare has unfortunately chosen to ignore the fact that the Firefighter’s main allegations have been wholly disproven, completely resolving our Police Officers of any wrongdoing with respect to those allegations.  Instead of ending his statement right there, he chose to try to rationalize some level of questionable policing by one of the Officers in his decision to conduct a very brief cursory search of the front of the vehicle in question. 

Let’s back up … two very specific public impassioned allegations of police misconduct were made by the Firefighter against our Police Officers, which allegations were both publicly reiterated by his Union President.  However, these two allegations are completely false.  Our Police Officers involved in this matter are an Officer who is black, and an Officer who is white. 
 

ALLEGATION #1. The Firefighter alleged that the Officers racially profiled him. 

This has been proven to be patently untrue.  Racial profiling is the improper practice of targeting an individual simply because of his/her race or skin color, and therefore knowledge of the individual’s race or skin color is required in order to racially profile.   

The facts of this matter clearly prove that the Police Officers approached the red vehicle parked in front of the Messer Street Providence Firehouse with their weapons drawn only due to specific information provided to them by a complainant who was present on scene, who stated that the red vehicle may be the vehicle involved in the incident in which two individuals attempted to rob him at gunpoint and knifepoint.   

One Officer approached the driver side of the vehicle, while the second Officer approached the passenger side of the vehicle, where the Firefighter was sitting.  Due to the time of night (around 11:30 PM) and the fact that the Officers could not see into the red vehicle, the Officers did not even see the Firefighter until well into the incident when he opened his car door.  It was only at that point that the Officer observed that the Firefighter was a black male.  There was absolutely no racial profiling as the Firefighter alleged. 

ALLEGATION #2. The Firefighter alleged that the Officers held him at gunpoint while he was standing in full uniform out of his vehicle and knowing that he was a Firefighter. 

This has also been proven to be patently untrue.  First, the Firefighter was told to stay in the vehicle until directed by the Officer to exit, and once the Firefighter was out of the vehicle the officers had re-holstered their weapons … so he was not held at gunpoint while standing.

However, not once was it mentioned in Commissioner Pare’s statement that the Officers’ firearms were re-holstered before the BWC was turned off.  Second, the Firefighter was not in full uniform, he was wearing blue pants and a blue T-shirt with a logo and was only identified by the Officer after showing his PFD hat and radio.  Moreover, the fact that the Firefighter was sitting in a non-Providence Fire Department vehicle with an unidentified female at 11:30 at night, and that he initially mistakenly intimated that he was a police officer, added confusion to the situation and the process of confirming that he was a Firefighter. 

Again, the Firefighter’s public passionate allegations which he made on the local media, and which his Union President chose to recklessly spread on social media, were false. Our Police Officers acted professionally and appropriately. 

Despite this, Commissioner Pare has attempted to cast doubt on the Officer’s decision to conduct a very brief lawful search of the front compartment of the red vehicle.  This was done out of an abundance of caution and only to remove any question of a firearm within the front compartment of the vehicle, and only after the Officer had asked for and received the consent of the female owner/operator of the vehicle. 

This consent to conduct the brief search was given in the presence of the second Officer as well, a fact that Commissioner Pare failed to mention, who only left the scene after the brief search started through the front of the vehicle.  Commissioner Pare also incorrectly stated that the Officer did not notify the Department of his failure to turn on his body worn camera, while in fact the Officer did notify the Department, of which we have proof.  Last, another misrepresentation is the fact that these two Officers have less than one year of service, and not three years as the Commissioner eluded to.   

Any claim that the Officer intentionally waited for the second Officer to clear the scene before conducting the search is false; and any allegation that the Officer acted in poor judgment in conducting the brief search is unfounded and simply wrong. 

Both Officers acted professionally, courteously, and appropriately throughout this entire incident, in accordance with their Police Training.  Other than one Officer’s forgetfulness in turning on his body camera, they did absolutely nothing wrong, and the facts support this.  They are both fine young men and represented our Police Department well.  They both deserve better than the false allegations which have been cast on them, and they both surely deserve better than to have their Police Commissioner not publicly 100% support them as he should. 

While we understand how having a firearm pointed at you could be traumatizing to the Firefighter, the method in which this was conveyed and portrayed in the public against our Officers, and distorted and embellished … is what we take issue with.  We find it sad that a Providence Firefighter, and more so his union president, would be so opportunistic in releasing and publicizing these mistruths, including the union president making such inflammatory statements without reviewing the facts … especially in an environment when police are under attack and on a night when things could have dangerously escalated.   

Both Officers are owed a public apology from the Firefighter’s Union President and those public officials who made inflammatory statements regarding PPD officers without the facts. While the Firefighter may have been traumatized by the incident, all of our 420+ Officers were traumatized that night by the false allegations and statements, while ensuring the peace at the protest that night, which could have erupted into violence given recent events of the previous Monday.  

We hope that the public will now understand and fully believe that both Officers did their jobs properly, respectfully, and professionally.   

Respectfully, 

Providence FOP 3 
Executive Board 

This story was first published 6/16/20 6:09 PM

 

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