EDITORIAL: Departure of Police Chief Clements Is a Big Loss for City

EDITORIAL: Departure of Police Chief Clements Is a Big Loss for City

Hugh Clements took over as Police Chief in Providence in July of 2011.

He was first named acting chief after a GoLocal exposé uncovered former Police Chief Dean Esserman had hosted a party at his home, allowing high school students to drink and more.

Clements was first named acting by then-Mayor Angel Taveras but soon earned the city’s trust.

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Taveras later appointed him permanent chief.

Now, more than 11 years, Clements is leaving. This is a major blow to incoming Mayor Brett Smiley that Clements has resigned.

Over the past few years, Clements has helped lead the city, keeping the relationship between the police and the public balanced. It was not always perfect. Too Often, Clements had to fill the void of the lack of leadership in the Mayor’s office.

There were a number of incidents that could have torn the city apart, but more often than not, it was Clements who kept the city from erupting.

In 2021, GoLocal named Clements Man of the Year, in a year of insecurity for Providence residents, when he was the firewall.

Murders were at a near-record pace during the second half of 2020 and in 2021.

The city was also plagued -- and tormented -- by illegal ATVs and dirt bikes, with high-profile incidents hitting every neighborhood, making the city feel, at times, on the brink of lawlessness.

In May 2021, Providence suffered its most violent day, with nine men shot off Carolina Avenue.

The murders continued -- young people, those in their 40s, some tied to the drug and gang life, and others who recently earned their graduate degree.

While Mayor Jorge Elorza and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare had lost the confidence of the rank-and-file members of the police and much of the city’s residents, Clements seemed to hold the city together.

Elorza, who was constantly distracted by a never-going-to-happen gubernatorial campaign, was mostly absent in addressing the violence and was more interested in personal theatrics.

Clements rallied an understaffed police department that had suffered from a Mayor and a City Council that had denied new police classes slashing the staffing to modern records low.

The failure of Smiley to retain Clements is not a good sign. To date, the vast majority of the new mayor's appointments have been former Elorza staffers.

Many were hoping for more diversity in experience and talents from a Smiley administration.