• Rhode Island State Crime Lab assessors found 15 nonconformities with national standards during a March review.
• Some nonconformities involved firearms analysis, an area under scrutiny after a 2021 error.
• The lab has until May 30 to address these issues and is currently working with assessors to achieve re-accreditation.

The Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory isn’t through the entire re-accreditation process yet, but assessors have found that the lab can competently follow policies, processes and procedures and meet “all applicable accreditation requirements.”

At the same time, a team of assessors also found that the lab was not conforming to 15 national standards – or 8.7% – out of 172 applicable standards during their March review of the lab, according to the assessors’ report.

Some of those “nonconformities” involved the part of the lab that examines and analyzes firearms, which drew heavy scrutiny last year after employees linked spent bullet shells from the scene of a 2021 Pawtucket homicide to the wrong gun.

The lab has until May 30 to complete its “action guidelines.”

The lab’s longtime director, Dennis Hilliard, told the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory Commission during a May 22 meeting that the nonconformities were being “addressed.”

“All the nonconformities are being addressed and are under review by the audit team leader,” Hilliard said.

After discussion about the report, the commission voted to go into executive session “discuss and potentially vote on matters pertaining to the job performance and/or character of a person or persons,” according to the meeting agenda. When the commission returned to open session, members did not disclose what was discussed.

What were the ‘nonconformities’ found?

Assessors from the ANSI National Accreditation Board found that the wording of some procedures within the lab were insufficient to “ensure the consistent application of testing as well as consistency in the reporting of results between examiners,” specifically with firearms and “fire debris.”

They found that the lab had not sufficiently recorded its original observations regarding firearms to enable the same analysis to be repeated again.

In another part of the lab that examines “fire debris,” the assessors found that a manual does not include guidelines for interpreting the examiners’ analysis and its method does not provide any option for reporting results that aren’t conclusive, according to their report.

The lab operates under 172 applicable standards, according to Hilliard and was not conformed with almost 9% of those standards.

What comes next?

The report is not final and the assessors have not yet approved the lab for re-accreditation.

Those who rely on the lab, referenced in the report as “customers,” have not been told about the preservation of certain items created during the testing of fire debris, the report says.

“Some of the things they brought up we’ve been doing for years, but now they’re an issue,” Hilliard told the commission.

“So in this case,” Hilliard said, “I think, due to our situation, they were being just diligent in providing a full assessment and that they were looking at pretty much everything that could go wrong.”

He likened the way that lab personnel “interpret” standards to baseball officiating.

“One umpire might call a strike,” he said, “the other umpire might not call a strike.”

RI Crime Lab has been under scrutiny

After the discovery of problems with firearms analysis last year, the lab suspended that type of toolmark work by in-house staff, relying on mutual aid from other New England states.

Later, it turned to private contractors for work that involves identifying connections between bullets and the guns that fire them.

At the present time, the lab is operating with 10 in-house staff and two private contractors, who are handling all firearms analysis, according to Hilliard.

• Large striped bass are being caught in the Providence River and upper Narragansett Bay, often by using Atlantic menhaden as bait.
• Summer flounder (fluke) are being caught throughout the region, with larger fish found near channel breaks, jetties, and ledges, using squid as bait.
• The Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament has expanded to include nine species and a wider fishing area.

Every angler wants to catch big fish.  Not just big, but our biggest ever, our personal best. 

But where to catch big fish and how to catch them is not magic, but rather it is all about the food.  You need to be where the food is with ideally fast-moving water that tosses bait around making them easy pickings for larger fish.

Here are some popular places and methods for catching big striped bass and summer flounder (fluke).

Where to catch striped bass

The striped bass limit is one fish/person/day between 28 inches and (under) 31 inches. The largest fish in spring have been caught way up the Providence River as the bass are following Atlantic menhaden and herring up rivers where they spawn.

So, the best way to catch large bass, particularly in the East Bay Area of Narragansett Bay is with Atlantic menhaden cut up into chunks or live lining them. Other popular methods include flutter spoons which mimic distressed herring or Atlantic menhaden as well as trolling tube and worm from a boat.

You can catch them from land at India Point Park, Kettle Point, Sabin Point, Conimicut Point and along the shore in Warwick, Cranston, Providence, East Providence, Barrington, and Bristol. 

And from boats it is a matter of finding the schools of Atlantic menhaden. Good places are channel edges from the southern tip of Prudence Island, up the Providence River to the Hurricane Barrier.

Summer fishing for big bass is generally done around Block Island on the Southwest Ledge, the Southeast Light and in the Cape Cod Canal from shore as well as around and off Newport and Watch Hill.

Where to catch summer flounder

The summer flounder or fluke limit is six fish/person/day, 19-inch minimum size. Fish are most commonly caught from boat on a drift, but can be caught from shore at Conimicut Point, Colt State Park, and off jetties in South County.

The largest fish are generally caught on edges.  Channel breaks, on the sandy area just beyond the base of structures such as a jetties and ledges.

Fluke face into the current to feed, so you want to drag your bait over the front of them, drifting with the tide and wind in the same direction when in a boat or slowing pulling your bait over the bottom when on land.

Squid is the bait of choice.  Some anglers cut it in fine strips yet others like to use the whole squid with others using what they catch that day… strips of bluefish, sea robin, etc.

Ten-plus pound fish can be caught at Warwick Light in spring; the Newport and Jamestown Bridge area; Austin Hollow, Jamestown; off Newport’s Brenton Reef area to 80 feet of water, along the southern coastal shore and off the Sakonnet River area to three miles out drifting over humps and bumps.  Big fish are also caught around Block Island, the East Fishing Grounds and Cox Ledge with the biggest slabs caught at Nantucket Sholes.

Block Island Tournament expanded

The Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament now has nine species with a fishing area that includes areas south of the Pell and Jamestown Bridges including Rhode Island ocean beaches to about 15 miles south of Block Island.

The tournament is Saturday, July 26 to Sunday, July 27. A smartphone app is used to enter fish, no need to go to Block Island to win. Register at BI Inshore Tourney | bi-fishworks (sandypointco.com).

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass.  Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren, said, “The stiped bass bite has been very good in Mt. Hope and Narragansett Bays. Anglers should know that Rhode Island and Massachusetts now have two different ways of measuring striped bass.” In Massachusetts anglers must squeeze the tail (caudal) fin to take the measure from the closed mouth of the fish. Visit Massachusetts – Striped Bass | eRegulations. In Rhode Island, measure from the mouth to the longest point of the tail fin, there is no squeezing allowed. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence, said, “Customers are having difficulty catching slot size fish in the upper Providence and Seekonk Rivers. Larger fish over 31 inches are being caught, earlier this month a 53-inch fish was caught. Baits working include live or chucked Atlantic menhaden with worms working best in the Seekonk River.”  Angler Kevin Tavares said “We fished Mount Hope Bay, the Sakonnet launch to Bristol to Roger Williams, etc. Chased terns and gulls on breaking schools of bass. Sometimes w/out birds, could spot them breaking top water…  Most fish were around slot, had some under 20 inches (nice to see) and a couple over 30 inches.” 

Tautog.  Ryan Collins of ‘My Fishing Cape Cod’, said, “The red hot tautog bite earlier this month seems to be cooling off a bit on the Cape as other species like scup move into the area.” Said Henault, of Ocean State Tackle, “Anglers have filed fewer reports on tautog as not as many are fishing for them as they are now targeting scup, striped bass and other species that have arrived.”

Summer flounder and scup are being caught throughout the region. Macedo, of Lucky Bait & Tackle, said, “The scup are in with small fluke being caught too.” Angler Matthew Haczynski reported last Saturday finding keeper fluke in the Block Island area. He and fish mates filled a cooler.” Angler Gary Vandemoortele, said, “We limited out on fluke in the Westport area last week when chartering on Three Sister Charters. Clams and clam worms worked best.”

Freshwater. For complete regulations, a list of trout stocked ponds, and a copy of the RI Freshwater Fishing Regulations and Guide visit Fish & Wildlife | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and in Massachusetts visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov.

Dave Monti holds a captain’s master license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries related issues. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net, visit www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com or www.noflukefishing.com .