Bah humbug. Rumors are flying that Governor ” Scrooge” Raimondo fired Colonel Ann Assumpico of the Rhode Island State Police late Friday afternoon. Was Assumpico pushed? Or did Assumpico jump? Was she fired or did she resign? Rumors started to circulate Friday afternoon on Twitter and have ramped up over the weekend. State Police sources speaking on the condition of anonymity claim they were shocked at the timing, but not surprised. One source claims there has been increased friction with Governor Raimondo regarding finances and the state police. Could this be tied to the ” no bid contract” given to a Chicago political operative? Raimondo chose Assumpico to lead the state police to ” make history”by choosing the first female Colonel.
Assumpico was a respected member of the command staff, but leapfrogged over six individuals in-line to the top spot when chosen by the state’s first female Governor. Assumpico has been viewed by many as nothing more than a “puppet” to Raimondo who views the state police as another area to experiment with diversity and use as a tool for fundraising. Assumpico has kept a very low profile as Colonel, often not seen for months by the public. Governor Raimondo has kept Assumpico in the dark and instead has relied on spokesperson Laura Kirk to release statements written by and approved by the Raimondo office. Assumpico received poor reviews for her mishandling of a state police cruiser that was stolen, followed by state police shooting and killing the wrong suspect. Assumpico took three days to brief the media and proceeded to provided inaccurate and conflicting statements.
State police sources say moral is at an all time low with the Raimondo staff basically running the department. Rumors also point to former trooper Jim Manni as the next chosen Colonel. Manni was a respected trooper and most recently the Town manager of Narragansett. Manni most recently made news when he forced Joe Trillo to take down a large Trillo sign that violated a town ordinance due to size. This story is developing..
