PROVIDENCE – A public forum for community members to meet the finalists for police chief will be held on Feb. 8 at the Providence Career and Technical Academy, Mayor Brett Smiley announced Thursday.
The forum will start at 5:30 p.m. and will be moderated by the Nonviolence Institute Executive Director Cedric Huntley and community leader Dr. Pablo Rodriguez. Candidates will be asked questions based on survey responses. The academy is located at 41 Fricker St.
Smiley, who has not publicly identified the candidates to become the 38th Providence police chief, will make the final hiring decision.
“The chief of police will play a critical role in my administration, focused on increasing public safety, building strong community relations and addressing quality-of-life crimes,” Smiley said. “That’s why it’s deeply important that Providence residents, business owners and community members attend the public forum, get to know the final candidates, hear directly from them how they would like to serve our city in this new role and guide the administration in making our final selection.”
The city’s top officer, Col. Hugh T. Clements, who has held the position since 2011, and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré both announced on Dec. 27 that they are stepping down in 2023.
The job description is available on the city’s website and applications are being accepted through Feb. 4.
A bilingual survey, which has generated 1,000 responses, will remain open until Feb. 5. Survey findings will be shared at the beginning of the forum on Feb. 8.
