In a unanimous decision, the Brown University Police Sergeants Union issued a vote of no confidence in Brown University Police Chief Rodney Chatman and Deputy Chief John Vinson, the union announced in a Monday morning news release.
The vote, taken on Aug. 27, “reflects serious concerns over the failed leadership, contract violations, and policies that jeopardize public safety and the sergeant’s well-being,” the union’s news release states.
“The decision to take a no confidence vote was not taken lightly,” union representative John Rossi wrote in an email to The Herald. He said the group has filed multiple grievances and “unfair labor practice charges due to the actions of Chief Chatman and Deputy Chief Vinson.”
The press release cites numerous issues under Chatman, who is also the University’s Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management.
According to the union, the University has also repeatedly dismissed concerns over an uncomfortable workplace environment, “which has led to zero resolutions for the individuals who keep Brown University’s campus safe,” they wrote in the news release.
The union claims to have made numerous attempts to work with Chatman and Vinson to remedy these issues, with no success. University Spokesperson Brian Clark said that the union had not been in touch with the University about the vote, mentioning that the union represents 10 sergeants out of DPS’s team of more than 90 staff members.
“We have robust and open lines of communication with union leaders at Brown and routinely work to address issues, priorities and concerns,” Clark wrote in an email to The Herald. “While it’s unfortunate when advocacy around personnel matters happens publicly rather than through direct dialogue, we respect that employees may have concerns at times, and we are committed to working directly with union leaders to discuss those, constructively and professionally.”
Rossi noted that the union had communicated its grievances to President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 as well as Executive Vice President Sarah Latham.
In emails reviewed by The Herald, the University agreed to conduct an internal investigation after initial concerns about Chatman and Vinson were raised. But the University outsourced this investigation to a CriticalArc, whose management appears to have previous connections to Chatman, which the union believed posed a conflict of interest.
“In any event that we engage an external partner to conduct a review or investigation, we take all necessary steps to ensure the independence and integrity necessary to ensure that findings are objective,” Clark wrote.
CriticalArc did not respond to a request for comment.
The union also stated that the effects of mismanagement within the department has led to the degradation of the relationship between the DPS and the Providence Police Department — a relationship they claim is vital to campus safety. Other cited concerns centered around staffing shortages, decreases in morale, violations of state law and retaliation by department management.
Rossi wrote that staff members often face retaliation for filing grievances, leading to “a culture of fear” that “pervades DPS.” As an example, Rossi pointed to the resignation of Captain Chris Dupont, a veteran officer with what he says was an unblemished record.
“After careful consideration, I felt compelled to step away due to a highly challenging and unsupportive workplace culture under the current leadership,” Dupont wrote in an email to The Herald.
Over the last year, officers at the DPS have alleged instances of harassment based on their gender and sexual orientation, The Herald previously reported. Officers have also raised safety concerns, about themselves and the Brown community, alleging that DPS employees responded with inadequate safety protocols to bomb and shooting threats.
By issuing a vote of no confidence in Vinson and Chatman, the union hopes Brown leadership will press for a more collaborative relationship with DPS employees, rather than what they describe as the current “dictatorial management style.”
Chatman and Vinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Maya Nelson is a university news and metro editor covering undergraduate student life as well as business and development. She’s interested in studying either English or Literary Arts and loves to read sci-fi and fantasy in her free time. She also enjoys playing guitar, crocheting and spending an unreasonable amount of time on NYT Spelling Bee.
Sophia Wotman is a University news editor covering activism and affinity & identity. She is a senior from Long Island, New York concentrating in political science with a focus on women’s rights. She is a jazz trumpet player, and often performs on campus and around Providence.
