Providence crime declining, officials say

Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh Clements (at left) looks over an array of handguns seized by police over the weekend as Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare and Mayor Jorge Elorza prepare to talk about crime in a news conference July 12, 2022 at the Providence Public Safety Complex. Photo by Steve Klamkin WPRO News

By WPRO News

The mayor and police lay out crime statistics and say that crime is down in Providence.

Saying he wants to dispel a feeling among many people that they feel unsafe in the capital city, Mayor Jorge Elorza called a news conference Tuesday to point to declines in a number of crime categories over more than a decade, including burglaries, robberies, aggravated assaults and even shootings.

“We have perception and reality, completely diverging,” Elorza said. “And that’s what I hope today helps to address, that yes, we should always be on guard but let’s be aware of what the reality is.”

Elorza produced charts showing the number of crimes in various categories during six-month periods dating to 2011, and said there has been a “pretty consistent” decline in crime figures over that time.

“Today, robbery numbers are 35% of what they were 11 years ago. Those numbers have declined 65%,” Elorza said.

He pointed to fewer burglaries. “Over this 11 year span, the numbers declined 78%. That is just remarkable.”

“I want everyone to know that we are not spiking the football,” Elorza said in a news conference in the Public Safety Headquarters building. “Because that can change at any moment, and that we need continued vigilance to make sure the numbers continue to trend downward.”

“We’re laser focused on gun violence,” Chief Hugh Clements said, “and we’ve done an excellent job. But, that could change tonight, and we recognize that. It’s constant,” Clements said.

Police displayed five handguns that officers seized over the weekend, saying that they were on pace to take even more guns off the streets than last year’s record haul.

At the conclusion of the news conference, Elorza fielded reporters’ questions, and labeled “awful” and “disturbing”, video of two officers allegedly mistreating a handcuffed man at India Point Park July 3. He said the two officers would face consequences, which he declined to specify, citing the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, which prevents public discussion of officers under investigation.