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How many cops from Rhode Island went to controversial New Jersey seminar? ACLU wants to know. – Rhode Island Current

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How many cops from Rhode Island went to controversial New Jersey seminar? ACLU wants to know. – Rhode Island Current


The ACLU of Rhode Island Monday announced it filed open records requests with every police department across the state to find out if any of its officers attended a 2021 training seminar in New Jersey that encouraged insubordination and unconstitutional tactics.

Last December, the New Jersey Comptroller’s Office released a report indicating some Rhode Island police officers participated in the privately-run six-day seminar operated by Street Cop in Atlantic City. It notes that speakers disparaged marginalized groups of people and often made lewd gestures related to genitalia. 

Instructors reportedly used words such as “retard” and “bitch” in describing people, according to the report. One showed an offensive meme featuring a monkey in a shirt after describing a motor vehicle stop of a “75 year old Black man coming out of Trenton.”

Attendees were also provided with a “Reasonable Suspicion Factors Checklist,” which warned officers that a person smoking during a traffic stop suggests criminal activity. Stretching was also seen as something a criminal would do when stopped, according to the New Jersey report.

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Public agencies in Rhode Island also provided direct payment to Street Cop between 2020 and 2023, but the report did not say which departments contributed or how much. New Jersey Monitor reported that agencies in its state paid at least $75,000 in taxpayer funds to cover conference costs.

In a statement sent to New Jersey Monitor last December, Street Cop founder Dennis Benigno said his firm planned to “impose stricter standards on colloquial and jocular language occasionally used by some instructors” before the state comptroller’s office issued its report. Video from the conference shows Benigno himself used obscenity-laced language.

Street Cop filed for bankruptcy in late January

“The New Jersey report is eye-opening and extraordinarily disturbing. Rhode Islanders deserve to know which police departments sent officers, however unwittingly, to learn how to engage in unconstitutional traffic stops and searches, and whether steps will be taken to retrain them,” ACLU of Rhode Island Executive Director Steven Brown said in a statement.

The ACLU on Feb. 22 asked the Rhode Island Police Officers Commission on Standards and Training (POST) to investigate and disclose which police departments sent officers to the seminar. 

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Commission Chairman Michael Winquist, who is also chief of police for the city of Cranston, responded via letter the next day saying “the actions you are requesting are outside the POST’s scope of authority.”

“Undoubtedly, all POST members would never condone any training that promotes unconstitutional or discriminatory policing practices at the Rhode Island Police Municipal Training Academy, for probationary police officers, or otherwise,” Winquist wrote.

Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association Executive Director Sidney Wordell told Rhode Island Current the ACLU’s letter was forwarded to local departments.

“We will certainly as an association make sure everyone follows up,” he said. “But at the end of the day, department policy will dictate how they respond.”

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Providence man arrested in connection to narcotics and firearms investigation | ABC6

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Providence man arrested in connection to narcotics and firearms investigation | ABC6


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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island State Police said a Providence man was arrested after police allegedly discovered multiple narcotics and a gun inside two residences on Sept. 23.

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47-year-old Joel Garcia was charged with possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver over 1 kilogram of cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver one ounce to one kilogram of methamphetamine, possession with the intent to deliver fentanyl, possession with the intent to deliver cocaine, possession with the intent to deliver methamphetamine, possession of a firearm while committing a controlled substance violation, unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and distribution of a controlled substance in a school zone.

According to RISP, police received court-authorized search warrants for two residences in Providence in connection to a narcotics and firearms investigation.

Inside an apartment on Dresser Street, police allegedly seized 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl, 2.3 kilograms of cocaine, and 147 grams of methamphetamine.

Police also searched Garcia’s residence on Portland Street and allegedly seized one fully loaded pistol.

According to police, Garcia had allegedly used the apartment on Dresser Street to “store, package, and distribute large amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.”

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Garcia was arrested and charged.

RISP, Providence police, Cranston police, North Providence police, Johnston police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Rhode Island National Guard Counterdrug Program assisted in the investigation.





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The Ocean State’s Bond With Robert Redford

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The Ocean State’s Bond With Robert Redford


Millions have been mourning the death of a cinematic icon over the last week with the passing of Robert Redford at age 89.

The award-winning actor is arguably one of the most famous of all time. With over 70 films to his credit on screen and nine he directed throughout his career, Redford’s work in cinema stands out as some of the greatest.

Though only two of Redford’s movies were ever filmed in Rhode Island, the Oscar-winning actor has a deep connection with the Ocean State.

Redford’s Family Roots Near Rhode Island

Though no Redfords actually lived in Rhode Island, Robert’s family was longtime residents of Stonington, CT and several members were born in nearby Westerly, RI.

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READ MORE: ‘Sopranos’ Star Officially Becomes a Rhode Island Resident

Throughout Robert Redford’s childhood there were visits to his grandparents in Stonington, where his grandfather worked as a milkman.

Presumably this time in Stonington meant crossing the state line into Westerly on more than one occasion in his youth and perhaps led to his love of the Rhode Island seaside in later years.

Filming The Great Gatsby in Newport

During his career, Redford came to Newport in the 1970s to film The Great Gatsby at the historic Rosecliff Mansion. Decades later he returned to Rhode Island with the science fiction film The Discovery and even wrote a thank you letter to Newport,  praising their preservation efforts in the city.

READ MORE: HGTV Says You Need to Drive This Road in Newport

Though when he did ultimately settle in New England, Redford chose Weston, CT as his home for almost two decades. He purchased a home not too far from his close friend and fellow actor, Paul Newman.

Evan Agostini/Getty Images

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Rhode Island Honors Robert Redford

Rhode Island never forgot its ties to the beloved actor however. In 2002 Redford was asked to be the commencement speaker at Brown University and that same year Trinity Repertory Company awarded him a Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.

Just one of the many lifetime achievement awards Robert Redford would go on to accumulate during his illustrious career.

20 Stars Who Hail From Rhode Island

Rhode Island may be the smallest state in the nation, but it has been home to many celebrities. Though some have moved here, filmed here or attended school here, only a handful were actually born here. These are those celebrities.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

Academy Award and Golden Globe Winners from Massachusetts

These Massachusetts natives have taken home some of Hollywood’s top honors.

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Gallery Credit: Michaela Johnson

30 Things To Do in Newport Any Time of Year

Newport has always been seen as a summer destination. Wealthy New Yorkers used to escape the city in the hotter months for this picturesque seaside spot and the label as a summer vacation destination began.

There are, however, plenty of things to do in this historic town in any season and we’ve found a few that you may want to try the next time you head to Newport.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall





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GoLocalProv | Sports | VIDEO: Providence’s Lassiter Scores 44-Yard TD in Vanderbilt’s Upset Over #11 South Carolina

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GoLocalProv | Sports | VIDEO: Providence’s Lassiter Scores 44-Yard TD in Vanderbilt’s Upset Over #11 South Carolina


Sunday, September 14, 2025

 

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Zell Lassiter
PHOTO: Via Vanderbilt

Providence’s Jamezell Lassiter had a big play on a huge stage on Saturday when Vanderbilt football upset #11 South Carolina. SEE 7:25 MARK.

Lassiter, who played for the Edgewood Eagles and the Mount Hope Cowboys and attended the San Miguel School in Providence, smoked the Gamecocks on a 44-yard touchdown score.

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Vanderbilt won 31-7 over No. 11 South Carolina, snapping a 16-game losing streak between the two programs. 

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Zell Lassiter PHOTO: Vanderbilt Athletics

In 2024, GoLocal sports columnist Robert McMahon wrote about Lassiter’s journey to the top Division I program:

His athletic skills impressed his San Miguel classmates. Flag football, soccer, basketball—Jamezell could do it all. He was a natural athlete.

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But the transformation of Zell, as he likes to be called, happened in the San Miguel classroom. 

READ MORE HERE

 

 

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