Pawtucket’s residents, taxpayers, and first‑responders deserve an accountability system that can be trusted. Today, that trust is broken.

Since 2018, Police Chief Tina Goncalves has also served as Acting Public Safety Director—the official charged with investigating the very officers she commands. Rhode Island law is clear: public officials must avoid even the appearance of a conflict. Yet Pawtucket’s top law‑enforcement officer has been policing her own department for seven years, and the results have been disastrous.

She should immediately resign from her role as Acting Public Safety Director, allowing for independent oversight over the Police and Fire Departments. 

What’s gone wrong?

1. Wrongful Arrest of Joao “John” Monteiro. A murder case collapsed in weeks, an innocent man lost his job and home, and taxpayers paid $1 million—while no officer faced discipline because the chief who okayed the arrest also ran the review.
2. Fire Department Meltdown. Illegal locker searches, crony promotions, a 90 percent “no‑confidence” vote in their Fire Chief, eight firefighters fired, and  selective media leaks about the firings from the administration—all with zero corrective action from the person who is supposed to hold the Fire Chief accountable.
3. Beating of 84‑Year‑Old Richard Addison Sr. Body‑cam shows an elderly Black veteran thrown to the floor and repeatedly punched. The Police Chief/Acting PSD controlled the footage, the narrative, and the internal probe, leaving the community outraged and exposed to a new civil‑rights lawsuit.
4. The case of Daniel Dolan. Officer Daniel Dolan’s case is the clearest proof that Pawtucket’s public‑safety leadership is broken. Residents had filed repeated complaints about Dolan’s aggression long before June 23, 2021, when—while off duty—he chased three teenagers into a West Greenwich parking lot and shot the unarmed driver in the arm. He was later charged with four felonies, yet Chief/Acting Public Safety Director Tina Goncalves kept him on the roster, even after a separate DUI arrest in Coventry where Dolan allegedly threatened responding officers. By allowing an officer with a documented pattern of violence and misconduct to remain in uniform, Chief Goncalves showed an alarming disregard for community safety and accountability. Pawtucket deserves leadership that removes dangerous officers promptly, not one that protects them.

Why it matters:

• No accountability: When the investigator and the investigated are the same person, misconduct disappears and mistakes repeat.
• Human harm: Innocent people lose livelihoods, housing, and health. 
• Taxpayer burden: Legal settlements—already past $1 million—come straight from our pockets.
• Public‑safety risk: Firefighters and police officers who speak up face retaliation, while systemic problems fester.

What we demand:

1. End Chief Goncalves’s acting appointment within 30 days.
2. Launch an open, competitive search for an independent Public Safety Director outside the Police Department’s, or Fire Department's, chain of command.
3. Publish a transparent timeline for that search so the public can track progress.
4. Hold a City‑Council vote of confidence on the current dual‑role arrangement, giving voters a clear record of where every official stands.

Add your voice!

Every signature tells Mayor Donald Grebien, the Pawtucket City Council, and our State Delegation that we refuse to fund more preventable tragedies and million‑dollar mistakes. Independent oversight is the fastest, least‑costly way to restore trust, protect constitutional rights, and keep our community safe.

Sign and share today—because justice, safety, and fiscal responsibility can’t wait.