Elected Officials Are Calling for Dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Pare
Thursday, August 05, 2021
A number of elected officials in Providence are calling for the dismissal of Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare.
Crime is spiking. A number of high profile violent crimes are sparking frustration and fear by city residents -- the drive-by shooting of a 24-year-old woman, five men shot this weekend, and the beating of a mother dragged from her car by a gang of ATV drivers -- have shocked the city.
There have been waves of violence this year in Providence.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNow, City Council President John Igliozzi refused to voice confidence in Pare.
Igliozzi said, “I withhold comments until I see how he [Pare] responds to these challenges.”
But others including former Mayor and now Providence State Representative John Lombardi were more direct. Lombardi said, “It is time for Pare to go. Providence needs new leadership in the Public Safety Director’s office.”
Lombardi, who also serves as a Municipal Court Judge, added, “I don’t say this easily.”
City Council Majority Leader and former firefighter Jim Taylor said, “In my opinion, both Mayor Elorza and Commissioner (Acting Fire Chief) Pare need to go because they will not let Chief Clements and his Police Department do their jobs so until they are both gone nothing will change in the City of Providence. Commissioner Pare is getting a $50,000 pay raise for being the Acting Fire Chief."
In June of 2020, the Providence Fraternal Order of Police voted no confidence in both Elorza and Pare.
“The results of these votes overwhelmingly show the lack of confidence which the Providence FOP and the men and women of the Providence Police Department have in Commissioner Pare and Mayor Elorza, and show the obvious frustration and sense of betrayal felt by these men and women of the Police Department due to the June 6, 2020, public statements made by Mayor Elorza and Council President Matos which prematurely and, as we now know, falsely accused two of our Police Officers of misconduct in the incident with a Providence Firefighter,” said the FOP in their statement.
Taylor said Pare's leadership is flawed, "In the years 2015 and 2016 there were over 150 Firefighters left the Providence Fire Department and the reason was because the Commissioner and Mayor changed the working shift and because the Commissioner was firing people left and right. Now roll the clock ahead to know and he is doing the same thing to the Police Department, firing and suspending everyone. This is how he justifies his existence because he certainly is not doing his Commissioner Duties or his Acting Fire Chief Duties. He does not care as he is getting paid $175,000 a year and is vested into yet another pension and May I add he lives in Cranston."
"So unlike Providence, he feels safe going home to Cranston because the Mayor and Cranston both current and past will not and not put up with all this lawless activity in their City. The quality of life issues are the worst I have ever seen, trash on streets, loud music, ATVs and dirt bikes terrorizing the neighborhoods, and graffiti everywhere. Mayor Jorge Elorza and Commissioner (Acting Fire Chief) Steven Pare have failed the City of Providence period," added Taylor.
Another Councilor, Michael Correia also believes it is time for Pare to step down. "I would say the commissioner seems to make decisions in a vacuum based on the direction of the Mayor wants at the moment and not based on the needs of the community to address these very serious safety issues, so I would say yes it is time for a change," said Correia.
All of the elected officials voiced strong support for Chief Hugh Clements.
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