PROVIDENCE – The city’s outgoing police chief, Col. Hugh T. Clements Jr., already has a new job.
Clements has been appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland as the new director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The federal COPS program is part of the Justice Department and focuses on advancing community policing programs across the nation.
“The department’s COPS office is central to our efforts to strengthen the public trust between communities and law enforcement,” Garland said Thursday in a statement. “I am confident that Chief Clements’ leadership will further enable the COPS office to continue its important work.” The statement did not say when Clements would begin as director.
Clements has been Providence’s police chief since 2012. He and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré both announced on Dec. 27 that they are stepping down this year.
Clements has said he would stay on as police chief to advise on the search for and transition to a replacement.
