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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Senate passed the Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability and Transparency Act, a reform to the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights.
The passage did not come without criticism, as both the Rhode Island Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander Caucus as well as the Rhode Island Black Lives Matter PAC said the legislation was not extensive enough.
The legislation establishes a five-member hearing committee consisting of three qualified and randomly selected law enforcement officers, a retired judge, and an attorney, a two-tier suspension structure ranging from a five to 14-day summary suspension, and requires the status of all hearings to be published online.
An amendment passed to the bill also includes the requirement that body camera footage be made available via public records request.
“While there will be some who say this bill goes too far and others who say it doesn’t go far enough, I think the bill strikes a responsible balance that brings necessary and appropriate reforms to LEOBOR,” Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, who introduced the legislation, said. “Throughout this process, we who worked on it in the Senate sought to both recognize the unique and dangerous work of the dedicated law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe and to improve the tools available so that those who violate the public trust can be held accountable.”
Both Sens. Jonathon Acosta and Tiara Mack, on behalf of the RIBLIA caucus, released statements on the passage.
Acosta took issue with the exclusion of the “George Floyd Litmus Test,” which would put a “carve out” in the law to allow the immediate firing of an officer:
The RIBLIA Caucus was clear in what we needed to see within the LEOBOR reform bill in order to garner our support. Unfortunately, we feel that a key piece of reform is still missing within the legislation that passed and I was unable to support the bill that was before the Senate today. The floor amendment that I offered would have alleviated these concerns, but regrettably it was voted down. The simple fact of the matter is that if the George Floyd murder were to have happened in Rhode Island, unlike in Minneapolis where the offending officer was promptly fired the next day, the officer would still be employed and receiving benefits until the lengthy amount of time it would have taken for a criminal trial to conclude. This is unacceptable to us and why I voted against the bill.
Mack, meanwhile, said the vote against the bill was due to it still allowing officers to keep their jobs despite using deadly force “in violation of their departments’ policy:”
I voted against the Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability and Transparency Act today due to the fact that it would still allow law enforcement officers that have used deadly force, in violation of their departments’ policy, to remain employed until they were convicted of a crime. Police officers should be held to a higher standard than us all and any officer that takes a life in violation of department rules and regulations should not be allowed to serve in our communities or be paid with our tax dollars. I wish I could have voted in favor of this legislation, but without the provision offered by Senator Acosta, I could not in good conscience support the legislation.
The BLM PAC also called for the inclusion of the litmus test, and President Harrison Tuttle released the following statement:
The Rhode Island General Assembly must confront the challenge of overcoming the overwhelming influence of police unions so that Black and Brown people can be protected from police violence and communities are safer for everyone. It is only then that we commit to centering police accountability to make that positive vision a reality.
The bill now goes to the governor’s office for consideration.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jimmie Williams scored 22 points and Duquesne beat Rhode Island 76-61 on Sunday.
Williams also had nine rebounds for the Dukes (12-10, 4-5 Atlantic 10 Conference). Tarence Guinyard added 14 points, and Alex Williams scored 12.
Tyler Cochran led the way for the Rams (13-9, 4-5) with 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Jahmere Tripp had 15 points and Myles Corey scored 14.
Duquesne took the lead for good with 16:10 remaining in the first half. The score was 37-27 at halftime, with Williams racking up 15 points. Guinyard had a team-high nine points after the break.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Jan. 31, 2026, results for each game:
02-08-14-40-63, Powerball: 23, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
09-13-25-30-43, Lucky Ball: 18
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Midday: 3-8-9-0
Evening: 4-3-8-5
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
08-16-31-35-36, Extra: 13
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Local News
Four preteens charged in connection with the fatal beating of a 51-year-old man in Providence were identified after allegedly throwing rocks at a vehicle and attempting to assault the driver a day after the attack, according to Providence police.
Investigators say the four juveniles — three 12-year-olds and one 11-year-old — attacked Rony Alonso on Manton Avenue at about 7:23 p.m. on Jan. 19. Alonso later died from his injuries after being treated at Rhode Island Hospital.
Plainclothes officers were monitoring the Manton Avenue area following the assault on Alonso, according to police records cited by the Boston Globe. In a report, officers said that on Jan. 20, they observed “numerous bystanders and vehicles” stopping to watch an altercation near the scene of the earlier attack.
Three of the four suspects were taken into custody around 4 p.m. after a 57-year-old woman reported that the youths had thrown rocks at her vehicle on Manton Avenue. According to police, the woman parked her car to confront the group, at which point the boys allegedly attempted to assault her.
Officers said they intervened before the woman was struck. The youths denied throwing rocks at the vehicle and became uncooperative, police reported.
The three boys were each charged with disorderly conduct and malicious vandalism and taken to the Rhode Island Training School. The fourth suspect in the attack on Alonso was later identified and arrested on a warrant.
Initially, the juveniles were charged with felony assault and conspiracy in connection with Alonso’s beating. The charges were upgraded to murder after Alonso died from his injuries on Jan. 22. The children were arraigned in Family Court on Tuesday, officials said.
Witnesses told investigators they saw several youths knock Alonso to the ground and repeatedly kick and punch him before fleeing the area.
The Office of the Medical Examiner determined Alonso’s cause of death to be blunt force trauma.
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