CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Governor Dan McKee is standing by his nomination of Wayne Salisbury Jr. to take over as head of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) as the correction officers’ union is raising concerns about Salisbury’s past.

“He’s been employed as an assistant director for years, and so I like the idea of hiring from within when you can,” McKee said Wednesday.

But Richard Ferruccio, the president of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers, told Target 12 he’s concerned that Salisbury was previously fired from the Wyatt Detention Center twice and arrested in 2010.

“This isn’t the guy you hire from within,” Ferruccio said.

According to a 2015 Providence Journal report , Salisbury was accused of falsely collecting vacation pay while working as a warden at the Central Falls facility.

RIDOC spokesperson J.R. Ventura said the criminal charge was dismissed, calling the accusation unsubstantiated.

“Interim Director Salisbury remains focused on leading the Department of Corrections by advocating for its staff and positioning those in its custody for success upon reentry,” Ventura added.

McKee said Salisbury has served as the interim director at the ACI for more than a year, and comes with roughly 30 years of experience.

“The vetting process was real-time work as a director during the stress of the daily job there and he’s done just fine,” McKee said.

But Ferruccio disagrees. He said Salisbury has changed how inmates are disciplined, which has led to more problems.

“Medium security, as we’re speaking, just went into lockdown,” Ferruccio said.

In a letter to the governor last week, Ferruccio said inmate fights and attacks on corrections officers have nearly doubled since Salisbury took over as acting director.

Ferruccio said the union plans to speak during the upcoming state Senate confirmation hearing.

A spokesperson for the Rhode Island Senate confirmed a date has not yet been set.

Kate Wilkinson ( kwilkinson@wpri.com ) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook .

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