FALMOUTH — The phrases "clean slate" and "fresh start" were commonplace yesterday as Anthony Riello was officially sworn in as Falmouth's new chief of police.

Riello, 57, replaced David Cusolito, who held the position for 11 years but announced his retirement following a period of departmental strife. Cusolito's term included a total of nine employee discrimination complaints filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and numerous disciplinary cases. And, the still-unsolved murder of Shirley Reine in 2005 prompted two years of public scrutiny of the department that the chief could never escape.

Riello served as chief of police in Pittsfield for the past 11 years and is the incoming president of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

Riello took the job in Falmouth despite the department's recent troubles because he was looking for a new challenge, he said.

"There are issues here, but there were issues in Pittsfield and every other police department," Riello said. "The key is to work together to solve those issues."

He called the Falmouth department "very solid."

That message seems to have resonated with some of the officers.

Sense of optimism

Michael Rogers, president of the patrolmen's union, said Riello has already met with union leaders with positive results. There is a "sense of optimism" within the department and a willingness to work together moving forward, he said.

Rogers, who is one of seven patrolmen who filed complaints with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination over the past two years, said the most important issue Riello must deal with is fairness.

"We need fair discipline that's equal and across the board," Rogers said. "The issues are the same everywhere but it's all in how people handle them. So far I'm very impressed."

Riello's first order of business is to sit down for face-to-face talks with any employee who wishes to speak with him. On Saturday, his first day, he rode along with the day sergeant to get a tour of the town.

In the spring, Riello plans to buy a home in the area and will be joined by his wife, a teacher who will finish the school year in Pittsfield. The new chief also has two grown children, a daughter who lives in Dalton and a son in the Army.

"He doesn't owe anybody"

Law enforcement officials from all over the Cape welcomed Riello at yesterday's ceremony, including old friend and colleague Arthur Parker, who is chief of police in Carver. Parker spent several years as the Williamstown police chief in Western Massachusetts, which is less than an hour north of Pittsfield.

Parker believes Riello will build on the strengths of the department while working to improve any weaknesses. Riello also has the advantage of being new to the town, Parker said.

"He doesn't know anybody so he doesn't owe anybody," he said.

Cusolito was not at yesterday's swearing-in ceremony. In a phone interview on Friday he mentioned what he perceived as three positive aspects of his 11-year term: the establishment of the citizen police academy, the department's receipt of nearly $1 million in grant money and a probe of racial profiling by police officers and a plan to correct that.

He did not want to go into detail on any negative events that troubled the department in recent years, except to say the majority of people he worked with were "really great."

"There are a great bunch of guys here but there are a few people who don't want to go with the program," Cusolito said. "I was always willing to communicate but you have to have people to listen."

Cusolito, 57, who still lives in Falmouth, plans to "step back and take a deep breath" for the time being and enjoy his new golf membership.

Troubled term
The following events took place in the last five years of former Police Chief David Cusolito's term.

Sept. 2002: Falmouth police Officer Robert R. Ronayne is shot with his own gun after allowing a known felon to handle the weapon. He chooses to retire rather than face a scheduled disciplinary hearing.

May 2005: The murder of 51-year-old Shirley Reine rekindles interest in the 1979 shooting of police Officer John Busby. Mrs. Reine's husband, Melvin Reine, is believed to be the suspect in the Busby shooting, based on a 2003 police report obtained by the Times. Reine can't be prosecuted because the statute of limitations has expired.

Nov. 2005: Almost a third of the department's patrolmen are on various forms of leave, which results in a staffing crunch. Also, one officer's arrest of another leads to suspensions of both men. Patrolman Michael Gonsalves says fellow officers harassed him after he wrote a report that resulted in Officer Theodore Williams' being charged with drunken driving. Williams is eventually found not guilty.

Jan. 2006: Selectmen offer Chief Cusolito only a 15-month contract, despite a recommendation by Town Manager Robert Whritenour to give him a three-year deal, citing ongoing issues within the department. Leading up to the vote, an overwhelmingly majority of officers vote "no confidence" in the chief. Five patrolmen file complaints with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, saying the chief failed to address racial discrimination by a sergeant.

Feb. 2006: Mediators brought in to ease departmental tensions say that issues have more to do with the generation gap than the alleged racial discrimination.

July 2006: Officer Ruben Ferrer, 47, claims age discrimination and harassment over wearing an earring. Ferrer and town leaders will meet this month to try to reach a settlement.

Sept. 2007: Sgt. Paul Driscoll is fired from the department after a blow-up at in July 2006 with Cusolito. The men had been at odds since at least 2001, when Driscoll claims Cusolito changed police department policy to require all officers to have a firearms license to carry a gun. Driscoll had filed an MCAD complaint in December 2006 claiming he was discriminated against because he is a recovering alcoholic with a criminal record.

Source: Cape Cod Times archives