HOULE

WOONSOCKET — Four days after word got out that the police chief’s former wife leveled allegations that the chief and deputy chief helped change test scores so that she could get on the force, the chief has announced his retirement.

Chief Michael A.. Houle sent a letter announcing his retirement to Mayor Susan D. Menard yesterday: “My credibility as Chief and attempts to make positive changes in the Police Department continue to be stonewalled and challenged. This is due to misleading and false information being provided to the media and lack of support by various people who have chosen to become involved and interfere in the day to day operations of the Woonsocket Police Department,” Houle said in the letter. “I can no longer assume the position of Chief of Police without considering the affects [sic] this negative publicity has made on my family.”

Houle, who served on the city’s police force for 29 years, will use accrued sick time until April 13 when he officially leaves the department, according to a letter by Menard sent to the City Council. Menard promoted Houle to chief in 2005.

Menard said in a statement yesterday that Deputy Chief Richard A. Dubois, who faces allegations that he helped change test scores, will run the day-to-day operations until further notice. In a strange turn of events, it’s reported that Dubois was admitted to Landmark Medical Center. Councilman John Ward said he was told that Dubois was taken to the emergency room but that he did not know any details. An official at the emergency room could not confirm the report.

Some city officials have said that the mayor should consider hiring a law officer from outside to temporarily run the department because of the allegations against Dubois. Sgt. John Scully, of the police union, said that the state police or a retired police chief should temporarily run the department. He pointed to North Providence where the state police have come in to run the department.

“It does cast aspersions on him as a police officer, seeing how he is under investigation,” Scully said.

Menard ordered an internal investigation Thursday, the same day Scully sent her a letter telling her that an officer had made allegations about the chief and deputy chief regarding test scores. Scully says in his letter to Menard that an officer told him that Houle and Dubois violated testing procedures. He said he was told that test scores were changed and that Dubois corrected a test in-house in order to change the ranking of police recruits. Scully did not name Marsha Bish, Houle’s ex-wife, in the letter but named her after she resigned last Friday.

Lt. Marc Turcotte is conducting the investigation.

Scully said that on a human level he felt bad that the chief had to leave this way, but on a professional level it was for the best for the Police Department. “Since he came in we have had nothing but controversy — the evidence room, the exam scam…. Morale has been down for a while. We look forward to somebody with a fresh new face,” Scully said.

The police union gave Houle a vote of no confidence and twice its members have shown up in force to a City Council meeting to voice frustration with the chief’s lack of communication with command staff, rash decisions and favoritism. The City Council has been looking for a company to conduct a management study of the department as well as investigate some of the incidents that have occurred.

During the past year, there have been several incidents that have put the police in an unwanted spotlight. Last spring, Houle was suspended for improperly destroying drug-case evidence. After that, an officer was charged with computer tampering, and a captain and lieutenant suspended for their involvement in the investigation of the case won their case in court. Last month, five people, including Bish, were suspended after a woman who spent the night in the lockup was able to smuggle a gun into her cell.

tpina@projo.com