PROVIDENCE – Amid staffing shortages and a rise in violence in the capital city, the head of the City Council is asking for backup from the state.
In a letter and news release on Thursday, council President John J. Igliozzi asked Gov. Daniel J. McKee to send R.I. State Police troopers to “help quell this surge in violence, and rebuild the public’s confidence in the safety of our city.”
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The request comes after a series of violent incidents in the city in recent days, including a 24-year-old bystander killed in a drive-by shooting early Sunday morning and another woman pulled from her car and beaten by a group of all-terrain vehicle riders Tuesday, according to police reports.
Calling the wave of crime “unacceptable,” Igliozzi wrote, “We need to act immediately to restore public safety and make our city’s residents once again feel safe walking and sitting outside in their own neighborhoods….The rampant violence we are experiencing threatens all of that; we need to ensure that Providence is welcoming and inviting for everyone who lives and visits here.”
Igliozzi in an interview with PBN on Thursday said the call for state troopers to step in and assist city police was not a new or unusual request and has been offered by the state on multiple occasions in the past.
He criticized Mayor Jorge O. Elorza for not accepting help. Elorza is reportedly out of town on vacation, and has not weighed in aside from a statement condemning the ATV attack and pledging to continue cracking down on the illegal vehicles.
“The mayor is being somewhat recalcitrant to accept the help when people of Providence are demanding it,” Igliozzi said.
The call for state support comes at a time when the city police department is particularly short-staffed, down to about 400 officers compared with the 500-person-strong force in the early 2000s when community policing became a focus, according to Igliozzi’s letter.
The city in its fiscal 2022 budget included funding for a new police training academy which would add 50 officers to the force.
Acknowledging that this was not enough, especially as aging officers retire, Igliozzi and Council Finance Chairwoman Jo-Ann Ryan in a prior statement on Aug. 2 called for an additional police academy to be funded in the fiscal 2023 budget as well.
Funding for police proved a sticking point among some council members during budget deliberations, with several voting against the spending plan for lack of police reform.
The most recent incidents build upon a spike in homicides in the city over the course of 2020 and into 2021, as well as growing frustration with the noise and safety issues posed by ATV riders, who are not allowed to ride legally in public anywhere in the state.
A bill introduced in the General Assembly earlier this year would have given municipalities the power to designate certain areas where ATVS and dirt bikes could be ridden, but failed to make it out of committee.
The city council will also have a special meeting next Tuesday to determine next steps with city law enforcement leaders, including any additional spending that may require a council vote, Igliozzi said.
Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements did not immediately return a call for comment.
McKee spokeswoman Alana O’Hare said in an emailed response on Thursday, “The state has been ready and willing to provide support to the city through the State Police Neighborhood Response Team for quite some time. Unfortunately, that offer was not accepted by the mayor’s office. After receiving Council President Igliozzi’s letter today, the governor requested Col. James Manni to work with Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements to honor the request and continue discussions regarding providing State Police assistance in our capital city.”
(SUBS final paragraph with comment from governor’s office.)
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
