South Kingstown police chief on probation after accreditation loss; union votes 'no confidence'

SOUTH KINGSTOWN − Two years ago, a former state police captain with decades of law-enforcement experience, including a stint as Block Island's police chief, took command of the South Kingstown Police Department.

Chief Matthew Moynihan's new boss was South Kingstown Town Manager James Manni, a former superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

After a period of changeover at the police chief's position, it seemed that the South Kingstown Police Department was finally headed toward stability.

But Moynihan has hit a rocky patch two years in.

South Kingstown police chief put on probation

Last month, after the department lost its accreditation, Manni notified Moynihan that he was on probation.

Soon after that, on April 28, South Kingstown's police union, approved a vote of no confidence in Moynihan.

The chief must restore the department's accreditation as part of his probation, which runs from April 22, 2024, through April 22, 2025.

He also has to address management issues raised by South Kingstown's police union. Manni on Tuesday confirmed that aspect of the probation.

Manni has said he is confident Moynihan will rectify the situation.

Moynihan has a plan

"We're committed to regaining our accreditation," he said, "and we'll seek that in a year's time and get that back to where it needs to be."

The town manager stood by comments he had made when both the accreditation loss and the no-confidence vote became public in early May.

"The loss of accreditation is unfortunate," Manni said. "Chief Moynihan was in place for approximately the last quarter of the accreditation process and no doubt felt confident that the process was running smoothly, as it had over the years prior to him coming on board."

"He is, in the end, responsible," Manni said. "And I am confident that over the probationary period he will rectify the situation."

What's involved a police department's accreditation?

The accreditation at issue is governed by the Rhode Island Police Accreditation Commission.

South Kingstown achieved accreditation for the first time in 2020.

The force's re-accreditation hinged on its ability to hit standards and requirements over the course of a three year period from about March of 2020 to March of 2023.

Moynihan became chief in the spring of 2022 and acknowledges he was in place for about nine months, or a quarter, of the process.

He also acknowledged he was "shocked" and disappointed to learn this past March that the department had not made the grade.

The accreditation focuses on 213 standards and many of those involve various requirements, according to RIPAC's executive director, Christine Crocker.

Documentation is a major component.

For example, to hit a standard for providing bullet-proof vests, a department must document that it actually provided those vests.

South Kingstown fell short on such documentation.

Moynihan acknowledges, for example, that the department fell short in documenting the use-of-force-training it provided to officers.

He points out that the restraint employed by officers as they dealt with a man armed with a knife, a man who would be linked to a homicide, shows the effectiveness of the training.

In the past, two other organizations have been unsuccessful at renewing their accreditation, Crocker said, adding that she's confident that South Kingstown can get their's back.

Why did the police union have a vote of no confidence, and was it linked to the accreditation issue?

Dealing with the police union is a bit different from dealing with accreditation authorities.

On April 28, South Kingstown's police union, Local 489 of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers approved a vote of no-confidence in Moynihan by a tally of 51 to 3.

At that point, the department's accreditation status was not known to union members and it was not a topic of discussion, according to the union's president, Michael Sousa.

Sousa, who serves as a lieutenant on the force, says the union's criticisms of Moynihan's management include an unwillingness to delegate authority as well as a tendency to give instructions that either lack clarity or conflict with other instructions.

Sousa agrees Moynihan is a "high energy go getter" but he also says the chief is a "micro-manager" and the department's subordinate staff are too busy to have the chief involved so deeply in so much of their work.

Sousa did not provide an example when he was asked for one, saying that nothing in particular came to mind.

"It's death by a thousand cuts," he said. "There's no atom bomb. It's literally death by a thousand cuts."

Sousa emphasized that, the difficulties with Moynihan do not stem from any type of management approach that some might associate with the chief's state police background.

South Kingstown's officers understand they must execute the orders of their commanding officers, Sousa said.

"We're a paramilitary organization," he said.

A majority of the union wants Moynihan to be dismissed, Sousa said.

Moynihan had no comment on the no confidence vote.

South Kingstown is a great community," he said. "I enjoy working with the dedicated officers and civilians at this department. I am looking forward to collaborating with them as we continue to provide best-in-class public safety services to our town."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: South Kingstown police chief Moynihan on probation. Here's what happened.