Crime in Providence: Top Stories in RI in 2012
Monday, December 31, 2012
Providence saw an uptick in murders in the same year that its police force dropped to its lowest level in two decades thanks to budget cuts, according to a GoLocalProv report earlier this year.
As of late August, the number of sworn officers stood at 428, down from 494 just 18 months before the story ran.
The number of sworn staff peaked at just over 500 during the Dean Esserman era. But during the 1990s the department functioned with a smaller complement, generally hovering around 440 officers. That makes the current force level the lowest it has been in two decades.
“It’s fair to say the numbers are the numbers. The staffing is at the lowest it has been in years,” Chief Hugh Clements said at the time. “I would agree we need to start beefing up our numbers again.”
The city is attempting to make that happen. Thanks to previously untouched federal funds, the force will grow by 18 officers in 2013, which should be a boost for the department.
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Comments:
jon paycheck
11:21pm on Monday, December 31, 2012
more of the ciccilini legacy
Joseph Bernstein
7:22pm on Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Clements isn't faking the stats.Esserman's derelictions are coming to the surface.