Newport Police Union Finances Under Scrutiny over Missing Money

Questions are circulating over the use of money in accounts held by the union that represents Newport police officers.

The union has reportedly secured the services of an independent firm to conduct a forensic audit of the union’s books after the discovery of between $100,000 and $200,000 was possibly used for questionable expenses.

The possible embezzlement of union money was first noticed earlier this year after a changeover in some union leadership positions, according to people familiar with union affairs. The Newport Daily News on Friday published some details about the expenses, which included purchases at nightclubs, restaurants and payments to credit cards and ATM cash withdrawals.

A person familiar with the matter but wished to remain anonymous on Friday said Sgt. Christopher Hayes, the longtime head of the union, is at the center of the investigation. He had the checkbook, the person said, and “close to $200,000 is missing.”

While many union members have known about the situation, “they didn’t want to hurt on their brother,” the person said. But recently, several officers who are upset about the possible misuse of union dues they’ve contributed over the years have stepped forward.

Hayes did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Other union officials, including Vice President Joseph Carroll, did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story. This story will be updated if they do.

Newport Police Chief Gary T. Silva said in a telephone interview Friday that while the issue has become a distraction for the department, he has made it clear to his supervisors that he expects them to be “good leaders keeping this organization on track and focused on their work and customer service.”

“This is a very good police department,” Silva said. “The sworn members and non-sworn members are good, hard working people.”

Silva described the situation as simmering for several months and not unlike any factionalization or dissention within an organization. He said it appears that one or more members of the union are dissatisfied with the way the union has gone about the inquiry, leading to tips to the media.

Though Silva is not a member of the union because of his City Council-appointed job as police chief, he has been a union member in the past.

“There’s a lot of speculation, personalities, hidden agendas and that’s what’s disappointing to me as chief,” Silva said. “We are law enforcement professionals who carry firearms for a living. For some members to be fueling their concerns by speculation, rumor or gossip — that has no place in the workplace. . . I challenge them to come forward to me, put their name and face to their concerns.”

Silva said that he met with supervisors about two months ago to address the issue and said that he expects the matter to not consume the department. And from what he’s observed, there is no evidence that there is any work slowdown or that officers are letting things carry over into their work performance.

Complicating matters is if the union sought to recoup any possibly stolen money through their insurance company, they’d likely be unsuccessful without criminal charges filed in connection with the alleged theft.

Hayes reportedly took a leave of absence in recent weeks and submitted resignation paperwork this week after 25 years of service to the department.

Hayes is widely known in Newport as an affable and good-natured representative of the department. He has served as union president for a decade.

It is also worth noting that the money is entirely union money, contributed by union members for union purposes and is completely outside the city budget that pays for police operations. As a result, the matter is out of the hands of the Newport City Council and city administration, though they have been getting informational updates.

The firm hired to complete the audit, Ward Fisher, will comb through years of financial documents to determine which expenses were official union business, such as for conferences, events and sponsorships, and which might not have been authorized by the union’s membership.

The city and the police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #8, reached a new contract agreement last December.

This story was updated at 5:35 p.m.

Do you have knowledge or information about this topic? email Mark Schieldrop at mark.schieldrop@patch.com.