Mayor to Hold Hearing Following Spotlight Story on RPD Sgt. Langone

After television news crews showed Revere Police Sgt. Jeffrey Langone allegedly spending part of his shift sleeping at home rather than being on patrol, Mayor Dan Rizzo and Chief Joe Cafarelli are ready to set a clear example this week about minimum expectations.

“It should be clear to anyone working in this administration, in any capacity, that we expect people to do their jobs,” Rizzo said in a statement this week concerning the actions of Sgt. Jeffrey Langone. “Anything less is a breach of the public trust which we have tried so hard to earn.”

Rizzo said he has asked Cafarelli to conduct and internal investigation and, after that investigation, will give the mayor a recommendation for disciplinary action against Langone.

After that, Rizzo said he would conduct his own hearing into the matter as well.

“At that point, I will conduct my own hearing with Sergeant Langone, review the Chief’s recommendations, and impose penalties that I feel are commensurate with the charges,” he said.

That course of action comes after the WBZ I-Team spent six months monitoring the work habits of Sgt. Langone – observing him going to his parent’s house to sleep frequently during his night supervisory shift. The I-Team observed Langone with a parked Revere Police cruiser at his parent’s home in Revere numerous times since March – each time while he was on the clock and in uniform.

A nearly identical I-Team investigation found a similar thing happening two years ago when they followed Officer Michael Mullen for months – seeing him spending his shifts at his North Revere home.

That led to discipline and even a recommendation for termination, though former Mayor Tom Ambrosino decided against firing Mullen. The officer was reinstated and began working the night shift.

In fact, Revere Police considered it a major victory this year when Mullen showed incredible courage in rescuing a boy who was attacked by a guard dog behind Northgate. Mullen jumped a fence, faced down the dogs and brought the mauled boy to safety.

Many in the department hailed the incident as an example of how extensive training and mentoring can make officers better – and they indicated that the department was turning over a new leaf.

That was precisely why the revelation involving Langone was such a backtrack.

Last week, the mayor and the chief met in executive session with the City Council for an extended period of time.

Cafarelli immediately instituted new patrol guidelines, and according to the police logs, officers are performing numerous ‘directed patrols’ during their shifts.

Definitive answers into Langone’s situation are expected next week, according to police sources.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.