VIDEO: Pepper Spray “Used According to Policy,” Say Providence Police Following Melee

VIDEO: Pepper Spray “Used According to Policy,” Say Providence Police Following Melee

Providence Police defended their use of pepper spray during a large-scale melee in the city on Tuesday — and said they are reviewing more body camera footage to determine if any action will be taken against officers. 

At a press conference Friday morning, Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements said all units were called to the fight between two families on Sayles Street that turned into a three-hour incident, from the time police were called until they left the scene. 

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Five people were arrested, including four juveniles. 

“We’ve been called to those houses dozens of times,” said Clements, of having all available officers on scene on Tuesday. “It’s a risk to the rest of the city.”

On Wednesday, Black Lives Matter RI PAC issued a statement that twenty children were “badly beaten” in the incident, which Providence Public Safety Commission Steven Pare on Friday said was “inaccurate.” 

“We’ve not seen all the video. I can’t say at this point we’ve come to a conclusion on use of force,” said Pare, who did acknowledge several officers used inappropriate langauge. 

“That’s not language we accept. We shouldn’t be talking that way,” said Pare. 

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza was at the press conference on Friday.

“It was a challenging situation. At this point we cannot speak to specific parts of the investigation,” said Elorza. 

“I’ve reviewed some of the tapes, and what I saw are two things — officers who arrived and acted professionally, and several instances of officers using inappropriate language [that] does not reflect the police department we strive to be,” he said. “Any officer who acted inappropriately or acted unprofessional is going to be held accountable."

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Elorza acknowledged on Friday that the situation would not have called for diversion services — including social workers — which he has called for more funding for at the expense of police. 

“This is a situation…where those diversion services wouldn’t have been helpful — the police had to respond to diffuse it,” said Elorza. “I don’t believe diversion services where we are investing would have made a difference — [but] I think we all acknowledge there’s a need for mental health services. We don’t have enough in the city and the state to meet the demand.”