Providence police chief and public safety commissioner are leaving
By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
Along with a new mayor, the new year will bring new leadership to the top of the City of Providence public safety department.
Incoming Mayor Brett Smiley announced Tuesday that long-serving police Chief Hugh Clements and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare are leaving those positions.
The changes were first reported by Dan McGowan of the Boston Globe, who was sitting in on Tuesday’s Matt Allen Show.
Clements telling McGowan that he is leaving for a new, unspecified job.
“I thought it would take a wrecking ball and the SWAT team to get me out of this position because I love this city, I love this police department,” Clements said.
Clements will advise Smiley on choosing a successor. Pare’s future is not settled.
“I’ll be doing something else, I don’t know what that is at this point. I’ll take the time to see what interests me in the future, Pare said.
Smiley also announced the appointment of Derek Silva as the city’s first fire chief in many years. Silva, a 16-year veteran of the department also served as president of the firefighters union.
Police union President Michael Imondi said he will reach out to Smiley in the coming days, suggesting that the incoming mayor look withing the ranks of the department for a successor to Clements.
“They know the city council, they know the people in Providence,” Imondi said. “This is all something that if someone from outside came in, they’re starting from square one, and that’s a huge learning curve in Providence.”
Providence State Representative and former councilman and acting mayor John Lombardi praised Clements.
“No matter how difficult the matter was, whether it was a race issue, a violent crime issue, whatever it is, he was there. He wasn’t afraid to meet with the community, he always returned his calls, always answered the questions as difficult as they may have been,” Lombardi said. “And, I’ve got to tell you, a man of his word. I mean, it’s our loss but somebody else’s gain.”
