Chief touts proactive policing with violent crime stats down in Providence

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — With homicides and shootings in the city significantly down year over year, the chief of the Providence Police Department said community and proactive policing is making a difference, along with superior staffing levels.

Providence has reported two homicides in 2025, including one recently on Nov. 13.

That’s down from 10 in 2024.

Col. Oscar Perez said 19 people have been shot in Providence this year, down from 33 last year.

Both of those numbers are below the typical average of 54 shootings in the city, Perez said.

Drug offenses have seen a slight increase, up five percent.

That’s the only data point that hasn’t seen a positive change.

The increased presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Providence as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration has drawn significant headlines, but Perez said he does not see a correlation between the lower violent crime stats and ICE activity.

“I don’t particularly think that it has to do with the response of ICE,” Perez said in an interview with ABC6 News Monday. “The individuals that we’re targeting are part of the criminal element in the city.”

Perez also credited increased staffing levels with helping to lower crime.

29 new police officers graduated from Providence’s training academy on Saturday.

“When we have more officers, we’re able to respond more quickly to the needs of our residents,” Perez said. “We’re community policing officers. I always said that community policing and proactive policing are not mutually exclusive. They go hand in hand. That’s critical for us to understand that. It’s something that we preach in the police academy.”

Providence also unveiled a new Real Time Crime Center over the summer.

Perez said he expects the crime center to be a major resource as Providence prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to come to New England.

“We’ve got to be ready for that stuff,” Perez said. “The Real Time Crime Center will be a great resource. When crimes occur that shock the conscience, residents expect police departments to respond. When you have the technology in place that is something that is part of 21st century policing, you are going to be able to do your job much better.”