The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office Report has prompted renewed discussion about how the Diocese of Providence safeguards children and investigates allegations of abuse. Scrutiny of any institution entrusted with the care of minors is both appropriate and necessary. At the same time, the public deserves a clear and accurate understanding of the structure, independence, and purpose of the Diocese’s Office of Compliance—an office intentionally designed to ensure accountability, transparency, and the protection of the most vulnerable.
For more than three decades, the Diocese of Providence has entrusted the protection of children and vulnerable people to a dedicated and independent entity: The Office of Compliance. The Office of Education and Compliance, now known as the Office of Compliance, was created in 1993, well before many institutions adopted formal child-protection frameworks. The Office reflects an enduring commitment to accountability, transparency, and prevention, commitment reinforced by both its structure and the professional law-enforcement leadership that has guided it from the beginning. The Diocese made a deliberate choice: This work would not be symbolic or insular but led by professionals with careers devoted to public safety and integrity.
The Office’s first director, Robert McCarthy, a Detective Lieutenant with the Massachusetts State Police, set a clear precedent that allegations would be handled with professional rigor and independence. That approach has continued for more than thirty years. In 2015, leadership passed to Kevin M. O’Brien, a Major and Detective Commander with 23 years of service in the Rhode Island State Police. Building on McCarthy’s foundation, under my leadership, the Office oversaw the intake and review of allegations, ensured prompt reporting to civil authorities, managed background screening and safe-environment policies and procedures, as well as guided the Diocese through a period of heightened public scrutiny. His tenure emphasized the principle that the protection of children must always take precedence over institutional considerations. As I prepare for retirement, the diocese has once again reaffirmed this model by appointing my co-director Robert A. Creamer, a Lieutenant Colonel with 28 years of service in the Rhode Island State Police to assume leadership of the Office of Compliance.
How the Office is empowered to function is just as important as who leads it. The Office of Compliance operates with full autonomy. Every report of abuse is taken seriously and addressed with empathy, compassion, and a steadfast commitment to uncovering the truth. There is no interference, influence, or direction from diocesan leadership, clergy, or internal stakeholders in investigative matters or in the development of policy. Decisions regarding the intake of allegations, investigative findings, reporting obligations, and compliance standards are made independently, guided by law, professional standards, and best practices, not by institutional convenience or reputation management.
This independence is not theoretical. It is structural and operational. Allegations are not only reported to civil authorities as required by law but also by the tenants of a special Letter of Understanding established in 2016 with the Rhode Island Office of Attorney General which formalized decades of the Office’s practices. Investigations are conducted without internal pressure or pre-determined outcomes. Policies are developed and updated based on evolving child-protection standards, professional experience, and lessons learned. Autonomy serves as a safeguard, one designed to protect victims, ensure accountability, and maintain credibility with the public.
The Office of Compliance also does not operate in isolation. It works closely with the Diocese’s Office of Outreach and Prevention, ensuring that child protection is not only reactive, but preventive. While the Office of Compliance focuses on investigations, oversight, and enforcement, it also works together with Dr. Michael Hansen, the Director of Outreach and Prevention, to provide education, training, survivor support resources, and safe-environment programming across parishes and schools. Together, the two offices form a coordinated approach: one centered on accountability, the other on prevention, education, and healing.
Oversight and criticism from public authorities can play an important role in strengthening systems meant to protect children, however, those discussions must be grounded in an accurate understanding of how those systems function. For more than thirty years, the Diocese of Providence’s Office of Compliance has been intentionally structured to operate independently, led by seasoned law-enforcement professionals, and committed to transparency and cooperation with civil authorities.
No institution can undo the harm caused by abuse. What it can — and must — do is confront that reality honestly, put meaningful safeguards in place, and ensure that the protection of children is never compromised. The Office of Compliance exists for that purpose, and its independence remains central to fulfilling that responsibility.
Maj. Kevin M. O’Brien and Lt. Col. Robert A. Creamer, MBA, CFE, serve as co-directors of the Office of Compliance for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.
