State Police Lt. David Palmer, left, will temporarily assume command of the North Providence Police Department. The announcement was made by Mayor Charles Lombardi, right.

The Providence Journal / Andrew Dickerman

NORTH PROVIDENCE — Mayor Charles Lombardi took the unusual step yesterday of putting the town’s Police Department under temporary control of the state police, saying he can think of “no better way” of restoring the reputation of a department whose image was tainted by the felony convictions of a sergeant.

Flanked by Col. Brendan Doherty, the superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; North Providence Deputy Chief Paul Marino; and state police Lt. David Palmer, the mayor introduced Palmer as interim chief.

The announcement came eight days after a three-year investigation into the activities of North Providence police Sgt. Michael Ciresi ended when a Superior Court jury convicted him on 9 of 10 counts, including burglary, larceny and receiving stolen goods. It also came four days after Police Chief Ernest Spaziano, who had defended Ciresi as a character witness during the trial, interrupted a vacation to tell Lombardi he would retire by March 14.

Lombardi, who said that he did not pressure Spaziano to retire, said he knew that “the time had come to move on” and to “reestablish the credibility, confidence and, most of all, the reputation of the Police Department in the eyes of the public.

“As the public safety director for the town, it is my responsibility to ensure that our Police Department is one of the most well-respected law enforcement agencies in our state,” Lombardi said. “In keeping with my policy of leaving all police business to the Police Department, I contacted Colonel Doherty of the Rhode Island State Police to get an unbiased opinion of the status of the department. After discussing our situation with the colonel, he agreed to loan us Lieutenant Palmer to serve as interim chief until I have the time to appoint a search committee to search out all qualified applicants and interview them to serve as the chief of the North Providence Police Department.

“I have assured the colonel that there would be no interference from our office, unlike what may have happened in the past.”

In a phone interview later, Lombardi said the move should not be interpreted as a put-down of Marino.

He said Marino will be working closely with the state police in the next few weeks and can apply for the chief’s position when it opens.

But at this point, he said, “I think we need to have someone from the outside to take a look and offer us some new direction. Sometimes when you are close to a situation it’s difficult to do that.”

At yesterday’s news conference, Doherty disclosed that state police have a number of “concerns” growing out of the three-year Ciresi investigation that they believe need to addressed and that he has discussed those concerns with Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. But he refused to elaborate and declined to comment on Spaziano, who during the Ciresi trial was indirectly criticized by a prosecutor for a “lack of leadership at the top” that created a climate where Ciresi felt he could break the rules.

According to Doherty, Palmer will work alongside Marino to “assess the department and report back to me.”

An East Greenwich resident and a 22-year member of the state police, Palmer has worked as a detective for 14 of those years. His career has included nine years in the narcotics unit and more recently he has been in charge of the agency’s violent fugitive task force and auto-theft unit. He has also been assigned to the major crimes and intelligence units.

Palmer acknowledged yesterday that most of what he knew about the North Providence Police Department came from his four hours of meetings earlier in the day with Marino, Maj. Paul Martellini and other members of the command staff. By the end of the week he expects to meet with all 77 members of the force, whose morale, he was assured, is good, considering the circumstances.

Doherty said he has been told the same thing. “Any time a police officer is indicted and convicted it’s a slap in the face to law enforcement. It’s shameful when we have a police officer convicted of a felony or any crime. But I should note that this is a good department. There are a lot of hardworking men and women in this department who take pride in serving the community they took a pledge to protect.”

Lombardi said he prides himself in getting out of the way and allowing the police to do their work, a style he has been told is very different from the past when mayors and politicians tried to “micromanage the department.” He said that under his administration, he allowed Spaziano to make the calls on hirings and promotions. In the interim he expects Doherty and Palmer to call the shots.

Doherty said “at some point down the road, I will meet with the mayor to reassess where he wants to go.”

As for Palmer, “his charge is to run that department and keep his eyes and ears open.”

rdujardi@projo.com