NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Four police officers in Rhode Island are being investigated for making five boys do push-ups on the side of a street as punishment for damaging a mailbox.
Acting North Providence Police Chief Paul Martellini says a woman called police Friday to report her mailbox was damaged. Officers then pulled over a car full of teenagers.
Mayor Charles Lombardi tells WPRO-AM the officers thought the best way to reprimand them was for them to do pushups.
A neighbor videotaped the stop and posted it online. It was first reported by WJAR-TV.
Lombardi says officers took the law into their own hands and calls it unacceptable. He wants the officers suspended.
Lombardi tells the station, “You can’t fix stupid. I think that’s the only explanation here.”
Martellini has ordered an internal investigation.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.