Attorney for Gloucester police chief: Investigation ‘has nothing to do with his duties’
An attorney for the Gloucester police chief who has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation says the situation has “nothing to do” with his police duties.Chief Leonard Campanello’s attorney, Terrance Kennedy, said in a statement Wednesday that his client is cooperating fully with the City of Gloucester. Campanello has received national attention for his stance on treating addiction as a disease, not a crime, and granting amnesty to addicts seeking help.“We are confident that when all the facts are fairly and impartially reviewed, Chief Campanello will be quickly and expeditiously returned to his position as Chief of Police for the City of Gloucester, where he will continue to be a national leader in fighting opiate addiction through his efforts with the Gloucester Angel Program and as head of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI),” Kennedy said.When the investigation was announced by Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken Tuesday evening, Campanello said he hadn’t done anything wrong professionally or personally to warrant action against him.“I am absolutely and completely unconcerned with this at all,” he told the Gloucester Times. “If the city feels they have to take some kind of process with this, go at it. This will run its course. I am honestly unconcerned.” Through his attorney on Wednesday, Campanello thanked his supporters and said he is looking forward to returning to his position as chief.Gloucester’s acting police chief, David Quinn, said in a statement Wednesday he was notified last week that Campanello would be taking “personal time away from the police department.” Quinn said the department was notified Tuesday that Campanello had been placed on indefinite administrative leave, but could not comment on the investigation or what it entails. Quinn also said another member of the department, Sgt. Det. Sean Connors, has been placed on administrative leave, effective September 8. He did not say whether Connors’ leave was related to the chief’s absence.“The Gloucester Police Department ANGEL Initiative continues unchanged,” Quinn said. “The Gloucester Police Department received a participant on Tuesday evening, and the program remains open and able to place participants into recovery programs.”Quinn said Assistant Chief John McCarthy will take over the role of acting chief when he returns from vacation Thursday.
John Rosenthal, co-founder and chairman of PAARI, said in a statement that Campanello has “stepped aside” from his role at the program to devote his full attention to the ongoing investigation.
“We have been made aware of the fact that [Campanello], co-founder of [PAARI], has been placed on administrative leave by the City of Gloucester pending an investigation related to a personal matter, which we understand has nothing to do with [PAARI] As a result, [Campanello] has stepped aside from his role at [PAARI] to devote his full attention to resolving these issues,” Rosenthal said.
“[PAARI] will continue, as before, in its mission to save lives, increase access to treatment for individuals suffering from the disease of addiction and seeking assistance, and supporting the work of law enforcement agencies across the country who want to do more to fight the opioid epidemic,” he added.
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