Whistleblower Policy

Whistleblower Policy

The Town of North Kingstown requires its employees to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities, practicing honesty, integrity and obeyance of laws & regulations when fulfilling their responsibilities.

Reporting

This Whistleblower Policy is intended to enable employees and others to raise concerns they may have internally so that the Town can address and correct inappropriate actions and conduct. It is expected that employees (and volunteers) would report concerns they have about suspected violations of law or regulations to the appropriate representative, as described below.

Protection from Retaliation

It is illegal, and contrary to the values of the Town of North Kingstown, for anyone to retaliate against someone who in good faith reports a suspected violation of the law, fraud, suspected violation of any regulation governing the operations of the Town, or an ethics violation. Anyone who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith would be subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment, as well as subject to any laws broken as a result of retaliation against a "whistleblower".

Reporting

The Town of North Kingstown has an open-door policy and suggests that employees (or any applicable party) share their questions, concerns, or complaints with the appropriate supervisor. If you are not comfortable sharing your concerns with the appropriate supervisor, you are encouraged to reach out directly to the Town Manager in the case of Town of North Kingstown operations. If you are not comfortable sharing your concerns with the above-mentioned individual(s), you should reach out directly to the Town's Legal Counsel (Town Solicitor).

If your concern involves an alleged Ethics Complaint, you should also reach out to and potentially file a complaint with the Rhode Island Ethics Commission.

If your concern involves an alleged financial crime, or any action that rises to the level of potential criminal actions, you should also reach out to the North Kingstown Police Department and/or the R.I. State Police.

If your concern alleges misconduct within or by a member(s) of the North Kingstown Police Department while on duty, you should file a civilian complaint/police report with the North Kingstown Police Department.

It should be further noted under this section that the "Whistleblower Protection Act" protects those who work for the government and report the possible existence of violations.

Alternative Method of Reporting

If the alleged concern or complaint involves the Town Manager and/or the Town Solicitor, an individual can report this concern directly to the Town Council through the Town Council President or a Screening Committee. The Screening Committee shall be comprised of two members of the Audit Committee as appointed by the Audit Committee. If the Screening Committee receives any employee-related reports, they shall immediately refer these to the Town Manager. The Screening Committee shall refer all reports related to the actions of the Town Manager and/or Town Solicitor to the Town Council.

For purposes of this section, reports to the Screening Committee cannot be anonymous (for follow-up purposes) and the Screening Committee's sole responsibility is to ensure the complaints related to the Town Manager and/or Town Solicitor are processed. The Screening Committee is not an enforcement or oversight authority.

Acting in Good Faith

Anyone filing a complaint concerning a violation or suspected violation must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information reported indicates a violation. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

Handling of Reports

All reports will be promptly investigated, and appropriate corrective action will be taken if warranted. Reports of violations or suspected violations will be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.

Adopted at the Town Council Meeting on November 18, 2024

To email the current Chairperson of the Audit Committee, the point of contact for the aforementioned Screening Committee, click here.