New Mashpee officer hired despite past

January 30, 2012

A Massachusetts police chief is defending the hiring of a new officer who previously spent time in jail in New Hampshire on an assault conviction.

Mashpee Police Chief Rodney Collins says he hired Ryan Nardone because he was the best person for the job.

The 28-year-old Nardone worked for the Manchester, N.H., police when he spent 30 days in jail in 2010 for punching another man in a bar. The off-duty Nardone claimed he reacted after the man groped his fiancee.

Collins tells the Cape Cod Times (http://bit.ly/zsl97l) that Nardone was among the top performers on written, oral and physical tests.

Collins also says Nardone is genuinely remorseful and deserves a second chance. Nardone was also described by his superiors in Manchester as an exemplary officer who made one mistake.

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Information from: Cape Cod Times, http://www.capecodonline.com