Seekonk Police Chief Suspended

Seekonk Police Chief Dean Isabella was placed on administrative leave by Town Administrator Shawn Cadime on January 6.

Isabella was appointed by the Board of Selectmen in November 2020.  He signed a three-year contract with the town.

Isabella previously worked for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families in Rhode Island as assistant director of Child Services, overseeing the Child Protective Services unit that investigates child abuse. Isabella had been a member of the Providence Police Department since 1987 and retired as a captain in 2019. Isabella obtained a Bachelors degree at Roger Williams University and a Masters degree from Boston University.

The police department has experienced turmoil before.

David Enos, a former lieutenant, had served as Interim Chief following the retirement of Frank John in July 2019, who served as chief for only six months.John had been placed on administrative leave in March 2019 and an investigation was conducted by the town but Seekonk officials never released details.

More recently, the department has been plagued by resignations and retirements. The department roster is supposed to have a total of 40 officers. There are three open positions currently. Two officers are on military leave and one more is out due to injuries, according to Cadime.

On December 21, the Board of Selectmen accepted the resignations of Detective Brad Lucke and Officer Eric Schoonmaker. In addition, Katherine Cardoza has resigned from the position of Public Safety Dispatcher.

Cadime noted the department has experienced “significant turnover” in the last three years. “We can’t continue to have police officers leaving the way they are,” said Selectman Michael Healy. “It just seems like every couple of months or so, we’re getting somebody else that’s looking to move on to better opportunities, whether it’s with the state police or a different organization,” Cadime said. “There’s other individuals that are leaving that we wouldn’t have expected to leave."

In a 2021 interview with the Reporter, Isabella said his goals included strengthening the bond between the police department and the community as well as providing professional development training for his officers. “I think getting quality police officers who want the job for the right reasons and retaining them through difficult times is one of the biggest challenges that faces law enforcement around the country. I’d like to see us build our capacity to serve the community in the highest standards possible.”