Paré Says Providence Police Were "Not in Pursuit" Before Moped Crash; Investigation to Take 2 Weeks
GoLocalProv News Team and Reynaldo Almonte for Latino Public Radio
Paré Says Providence Police Were "Not in Pursuit" Before Moped Crash; Investigation to Take 2 Weeks
Paré was joined by Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, Chief of Police Hugh Clements -- and Attorney General Peter Neronha -- at a press conference Monday afternoon, announcing it will likely take at least two weeks for an investigation to conclude what led up to the crash.
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"Unfortunately, this a huge challenge — for this police department, departments around the country and other municipalities in Rhode Island face," said Clements. "These vehicles operate in an unsafe and reckless manner — [riding] into oncoming traffic, no regard for others' safety, going through red lights and stop signs."
While Clements said that police "try to monitor their path from a safe distance — and escort them off main thoroughfares," Paré addressed the police's ability to conduct high-speed chases.
"It’s really dangerous to conduct pursuits," said Paré. "Our policy allows pursuits under strict conditions -- but you are allowed to pursue someone at high speeds. The policy is 5 to 8 pages long. We can chase, but when you chase a motorcycle or ATV or some type of vehicle, it becomes real dangerous for everyone."
Paré said when asked, however, that he believes police were not "in pursuit" on Sunday.
"It was more escorting," said Paré.
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Police said that the investigation will look at video, witness testimony, and reconstruct how the accident occurred -- and whether the police cruiser had any impact with the driver.
Clements, in his remarks, described the accident as follows.
"A small black moped was in front of a marked unit — that moped took an abrupt right-hand turn, losing control and coming into collision with the house," said Clements.
According to police, the moped was technically legal for use on streets, but had an expired registration and no plates.
"Nothing good comes from a young man sitting in the hospital from a tragic injury," said Clements.
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"Protocol is...whenever there is an injury involving a civilian and a police officer," said Neronha, of his office's role of independently investigating.
"The purpose is to find out exactly what happened and what the consequences are when we learn about the facts. We can’t draw legal conclusions," he said. "I’m conscious of the public’s desires to get answers — at the same time we have to be confident we’re getting it right. We’re going to move as quickly as we can."
Elorza was asked to address protesters expected to gather Tuesday, in light of not official crash information at this time.
"What I ask of all the protesters and anyone who has a concern, I ask them, to ask of us, for a thorough, complete, and transparent investigation," said Elorza. "That’s what we owe to everyone in this process — that’s what I ask them to call for."
This story was first pubished 10/19/20 3:45 PM