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« Coastweeks 2007: Big event you've never heard of | Today | Warren boatmaker faces fine for clean-air violations » September 20, 20072 police departments searching for missing manProvidence police have joined Johnston detectives to search for Anthony Smith, a 43-year-old, developmentally challenged man who was taken into Johnston police custody during a traffic stop where he was a passenger, questioned and released before a family arrived to bring him home. The police say they were unaware that Smith had a handicap. They deny they did anything wrong and say they are now making intensive efforts to find him. Johnston Police Chief Richard Tamborini said he called Providence Police Chief Dean Esserman and suggested officers could help. The idea, he said was “having Johnston detectives team up with officers in Providence to see where street people hang out in Providence, because we really hadn’t checked,” the investigation had been focused on hospitals and shelters. Tamborini said the office has been “inundated” with sightings, and that they respond to every one immediately, but there is still no word on the whereabouts of Smith, who lives with his uncle in Providence, has been missing since Sept. 11. The Smiths, who are black, say the traffic stop that started the chain of events smacks of racial profiling, the sort of discriminatory law enforcement that two detailed statistical studies have found is common among Rhode Island police. See a new missing's person poster for Smith, which has two photos of him. Posted by Brandie Jefferson CommentsBarbara | September 21, 2007 10:29 PM link Funny, I watched this man for two weeks living in the park across the street from my house. No one paid attention, no one cared, he was just another homeless soul. Danielson, CT. Today he was returned to RI. k Vasumaki | September 23, 2007 7:03 PM link Post a commentPlease be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish. |
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ProJo 9 to 5 News Blog
Oct 2005 - March 2006
How could the police not have known that this poor man had disabilitys? Why would they just send him packing without having him sit somewhere to wait for his ride? It sounds like they knew that he had a ride. Someone must have let him use a phone or dialed for him. It doesn't sound like the police had even done much searching for this man. As soon as they realized that he was disabled and realized their mistake they should have been out there searching for him. I hope this man is found and that nothing horrible has happened to him. No one should be picked up and then sent out to the streets without a ride home. What in the world were the police thinking? I hate to scream racial but if this is the normal behavior or this police department then that is a real shame and it sounds like they need to clean house from the top to the bottom.