Former State Rep Calls for Private Security on East Side

GoLocalProv News Team

Former State Rep Calls for Private Security on East Side

Former State Representative -- and former Deputy Secretary of State -- Ray Rickman is advocating for East Side residents to get additional private security to patrol the neighborhoods, following reports that Blackstone area residents had begun looking into the option in the wake of recent crimes. 

Rickman, who has been a resident of the East Side for years, took the city to task for reporting that crime numbers year-over-year are down, when concerns were at an all-time high. 

"I find it unacceptable that the crime rate is 10% less than last year and for some reason we should be happy," said Rickman. "There are 40,000 of us who are constantly fearful we're going to be be robbed. You worry about your safety. This level of crime is unacceptable, and [the city's] bragging it's less than a crime wave last year.  This is not a PR job...they should be reporting the facts."

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"What is needed is a review of how to deal with this," continued Rickman. "Since we have resources on the East Side, we should personally assist ourselves [with private security] and I think we should could get it as cheap as $30 to $40 per person a year for the months we use it....maybe this just a first step."

Rickman said that the underlying issues need to be addressed to make any progress in combatting the existing crime. 

"I'm telling you, we'll know who these kids are -- and they're criminals and they housebreak -- but we need to ask why.  Are they doing it for tennis shoes?  Are they doing it for a drug habit?  You don't do this many breaks unless you have some kind of problem...let's find out what it," said Rickman.
 


Crime on College Campuses in RI: 2011-2013

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