An Arlington police lieutenant who was placed on leave last fall after penning controversial and inflammatory remarks will return to work, having recently completed a series of meetings aimed at reflecting on the harm he caused, town officials said Friday.

Lt. Richard Pedrini, who told officers to “meet violence with violence” in a police association newsletter column, has expressed remorse for his statements and acknowledged how his words hurt the community, according to a statement from the Town of Arlington.

“Lt. Pedrini, who was placed on administrative leave following the publication of his offending comments, will be allowed to return to work having met the expectations of the Restorative Justice process, including demonstrating remorse,” the statement reads.


Under an agreement, Pedrini is required to issue a written, public apology and will face other punitive measures, officials said. Those additional punishments cannot be disclosed due to legal reasons surrounding employee privacy, they said.

He will be supervised by Acting Police Chief Juliann Flaherty, “who will be responsible for enforcing the terms of Lt. Pedrini’s return,” the statement said.

#ArlingtonMA announce resolution on Pedrini. As part of his restorative agreement Lt. Pedrini will return to work and be required to undertake a number of additional restorative steps, including a written public apology. https://t.co/tFr3yT6Fj8 — Arlington, MA Police (@ArlingtonMAPD) March 29, 2019

Pedrini was put on administrative leave in October when several of his “Man on the Street” columns published in Massachusetts Police Association newsletters surfaced online.

Several columns contained strong rhetoric aimed at immigrants, politicians, criminal justice reform, and social justice campaigns.

“I am sick and tired of the social justice warriors telling us how to do our jobs,” he wrote in one piece published in “The Sentinel.” “It’s time we forget about ‘restraint,’ ‘measured responses,’ ‘procedural justice,’ ‘de-escalation,’ ‘stigma-reduction,’ and other feel-good BS that is getting our officers killed. Let’s stop lip-synching, please! Let’s meet violence with violence and get the job done.”

A member of the Arlington Police Department since 1996, Pedrini — who initially told WBUR his writing was “tongue-in-cheek political satire” — was poised to become the association’s next executive director. He was placed on leave from the group’s executive board, pending the outcome of the Town of Arlington’s proceedings.


James Machado, the association’s executive director, told Boston.com Friday that Pedrini apologized to the organization and remains an elected member of the board, but Pedrini will not become the group’s next executive director.

The association plans to discuss next month what his duties will be moving forward, Machado said.

Town officials said in February that they opted to take on a “restorative justice process” in response to the columns.

In Friday’s statement, they said the effort focuses on “the rehabilitation of responsible parties through deep engagement and reconciliation with victims and members of the community.”

In partnership with the non-profit Communities for Restorative Justice, the town conducted a series of meetings between Pedrini and several other groups, including the Mystic Valley NAACP, Town Meeting members, law enforcement and municipal officials, and the immigrant and religious communities, according to the town’s statement.

Officials said Pedrini was offered the process because he showed remorse and that his writing did not reflect his record as a member of the department.

“It is important to note that the traditional labor arbitration and litigation process is inherently uncertain and presents little opportunity for community healing,” the statement says. “Through the Restorative Justice process the Town was able to guide an outcome and promote a therapeutic dialogue.”

Over the course of the process, Pedrini heard form over 100 community members both in writing and in person.

“The Town of Arlington has no tolerance for the type of employee behavior exhibited by Lt. Pedrini, which is at odds with the progressive programs and policies championed by the Town and Police Department,” the statement says. “We believe that this innovative approach to addressing the matter is just, expressive of our abhorrence of such behavior, and useful in advancing the goals of respectfulness and inclusion in our civic life. We are grateful for the support and guidance provided during the process by Communities for Restorative Justice as well as the dedicated community members who brought tremendous perspective and wisdom to the process.”