Providence losing top 2 public safety leaders amid mayoral transition

Updated at 3:42 p.m. on Dec. 27

THE TOP TWO Providence public safety officials are leaving, with Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré retiring and Police Chief Hugh Clements, pictured, taking another, not yet specified, job, Mayor-elect Brett Smiley has announced. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
THE TOP TWO Providence public safety officials are leaving, with Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré retiring and Police Chief Hugh Clements, pictured, taking another, not yet specified, job, Mayor-elect Brett Smiley has announced. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – The top two public safety officials in the city are leaving as the new mayor takes office. 

Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré and Providence Police Chief Hugh T. Clements are leaving, with Paré opting to retire and Clements taking another, not-yet-specified “opportunity,” Mayor-elect Brett Smiley announced on Tuesday.

Both long-serving law enforcement officers were named to their current leadership roles over a decade ago, under former mayor Angel Taveras’ administration. Clements was asked by Smiley to stay on as police chief, but he opted to leave for another job, the release stated.

Patricia Socarras, a spokeswoman for Smiley, said in an email Tuesday that the public safety commissioner job was “likely to change under this administration and staffing reflects those changes.”  Smiley does not plan to fill the post immediately, instead focusing on finding a new police chief.

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Paré was a former R.I. State Police superintendent who then served as head of global security for Rhode Island-based gaming company GTECH before it merged with International Game Technology Inc. He was appointed as public safety commissioner in 2011. Clements, a longtime city patrol officer, was named police chief in 2012.

Supporters praise the duo for bringing community policing to the city, lowering crime rates while strengthening relationships with the community. However, the city’s law enforcement has also come under scrutiny amid a rise in gun violence and problems with illegal, all-terrain vehicles in recent years. 

Paré was also tangled up in scrutiny over outgoing Mayor Jorge O. Elorza’s pick for a new community relationships job in the police department. Michael Stephens, a former city recreation director, was ultimately appointed to the job anyway but not after backlash over his lack of law enforcement experience and allegations that the hiring process – which Paré helped to oversee – was rigged.

Meanwhile, the long-vacant city fire chief job has finally been filled, with Smiley naming Derek Silva to the job. The unfilled position has been a source of frustration for some city council members, particularly James Taylor, a former firefighter, because the city has still been setting aside money in its budget for an open position. Silva has worked for the department for 16 years, most recently as assistant chief.

Two other public safety-related leaders in the city will stay on under Smiley: Clara Decerbo, director of Providence Emergency Management Agency, and Joseph Migliaccio, director of telecommunications. 

Paré plans to retire on Jan. 2. Clements will stay on to advise on the search for and transition to a new police chief, the release stated.

Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.

Clarification: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized Steven Paré. He worked as head of global security at GTECH before it merged with International Game Technology Inc. 

(Update: Comment from Smiley spokeswoman added in 4th paragraph)

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1 COMMENT

  1. Hate to see Clements go. Pare’ should have gone long ago. Brett is correct in not rushing to replace Pare’, since Pare”s position is probably superfluous in a town the size of PVD.