Opinion ID: 1470626
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether the Ordinance Violates the Rhode Island Constitution

Text: Before this Court, plaintiffs' constitutional contentions are interrelated: plaintiffs argue that the PERA Ordinance is invalid and unenforceable because (1) it is preempted by LEOBOR since it purports to regulate an issue of statewide concern ( viz., police discipline) in violation of the Home Rule Amendment, and (2) the Legislature intended to occupy the field by its enactment of LEOBOR. [5] Additionally, plaintiffs contend that a municipality has no authority to legislatively establish a process that could lead to police-officer discipline and that, therefore, the PERA Ordinance is invalid as ultra vires. We reject these contentions. When confronted with an issue of preemption, it is incumbent upon the Court to determine whether the issue before us is implicitly reserved within the state's sole domain. Amico's Inc. v. Mattos, 789 A.2d 899, 908 (R.I.2002). Characterized as field preemption, the usual question is whether the Legislature manifestly has controlled the subject area and has not delegated any of its authority to the cities and towns, such as is the case with respect to the spheres of education, elections, and taxation. Id. [A] municipal ordinance is preempted if the Legislature intended that its statutory scheme completely occupy the field of regulation on a particular subject. Town of Warren v. Thornton-Whitehouse, 740 A.2d 1255, 1261 (R.I.1999). A more complex analysis arises when there has been limited delegation of regulatory authority to the cities and towns, such as has happened with respect to the licensing and regulation of liquor establishments. Amico's Inc., 789 A.2d at 908. In the case before us, we are confronted with an ordinance designed to protect the rights of those citizens who may be aggrieved by unconstitutional police misconduct. In contrast, the purpose of LEOBOR is to protect police officers from any impairment of their rights when their conduct is questioned by a law enforcement agency with respect to a noncriminal matter. Secondly, LEOBOR is a legislative foray into a single aspect of the internal affairs of local police departments  officer discipline  an issue that is compounded by the fact that this effort did not come about until 1976. Generally, the appointment, qualification, remuneration, and removal of police officers by local police departments are issues of local concern. When article 13 of the Rhode Island Constitution, the Home Rule Amendment, was ratified, the cities and towns were vested with the power of self-government, including the power to legislate in local matters. Lynch v. King, 120 R.I. 868, 877, 391 A.2d 117, 122 (1978). However, the General Assembly retained the power to act in relation to the affairs of all cities and towns as long as the enactment did not affect the form of government. Id. ; see also Bruckshaw v. Paolino, 557 A.2d 1221, 1222 (R.I.1989) (The state maintains sovereignty over matters of statewide concern, including the regulation of police affairs; the Legislature may act only by legislation that affects all cities and towns or by special legislation that must be approved by the voters of the city or town to which the legislation relates.). By enacting LEOBOR, a statute of statewide application, the General Assembly created a protected class of public servants  permanently appointed law enforcement officers who are under investigation or subject to interrogation by a law enforcement agency for any reason which could lead to disciplinary action, demotion or dismissal. Lynch, 120 R.I. at 870 n. 1, 391 A.2d at 119 n. 1. The statute is not a model of clarity. However, we consistently have recognized that LEOBOR sets forth procedural guarantees for an officer who may be subject to discipline by a law enforcement agency. See McLaughlin, 593 A.2d at 1348. Notably, many of the statute's protections arise when the officer is facing interrogation by a law enforcement agency with respect to a noncriminal matter  an issue that has yet to come before us. Section 42-28.6-2(1)-(9). However, this Court never has declared that, by enacting LEOBOR, the General Assembly intended to occupy the field, and we decline to do so in the present case. Indeed, as our opinion in McLaughlin, 593 A.2d at 1351, demonstrates, preliminary proceedings that do not directly result in the imposition of discipline are not precluded by LEOBOR. This Court consistently has held that LEOBOR is limited to noncriminal investigations of officer misconduct that are conducted by a law enforcement agency. Because PERA is not a law enforcement agency and has no authority to impose discipline, we see no constitutional infirmity in its reach. Additionally, in the case before us, we are satisfied that the PERA Ordinance comports not only with LEOBOR, but with the consent decree. We undertake this analysis against the backdrop of federal civil rights actions against the City of Providence and its police officers.