Providence FOP Blasts Elorza After Mayor’s Confrontation With Governor

Providence FOP Blasts Elorza After Mayor’s Confrontation With Governor

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza’s confrontation with Governor Dan McKee at the WaterFire press conference on Wednesday has drawn criticism from the Providence Fraternal Order of Police.

In a statement, FOP Lodge 3 said, "It looks like Mayor Elorza doesn’t practice what he preaches. It’s appalling to see an elected official having to be physically held back while he verbally berates the Governor of our state. According to the Mayor, the words you say and how you say them, (even in heated, high-stress situations), reveal everything one needs to know about your character and ability to do your job. Apparently, those actions fall under conduct unbecoming of an elected official and deserve a suspension. Perhaps Mayor Elorza should sit in on the de-escalation training that the Providence Police mandates all officers attend."

"Our city is deeply embarrassed by our Mayor’s actions tonight. He has brought disgrace upon our city. We would never think that we’d see the day when our Mayor would try and assault our Governor. His conduct is an awful example to our children and youth. He is clearly not fit to lead our city," added the FOP.

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Tensions between FOP and Elorza are nothing new. In June of 2020, the Providence FOP voted overwhelmingly “no confidence” in Elorza and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare.

This vote stands in contrast to some community organizations pressing the Providence City Council to “defund the police.”

In 2020, there were more than ten hours of testimony calling for cuts to the police budget. Elorza and Pare went along with the cuts proposed by members of the Providence City Council.

“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.