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Providence police chief finalists face questions in public forum


The three finalists for Providence police chief face questions at a public forum, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. (WJAR)
The three finalists for Providence police chief face questions at a public forum, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. (WJAR)
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The three finalists for Providence police chief answered questions from the public on Wednesday night.

The next chief will replace Col. Hugh Clements, who stepped down for a job in the U.S. Department of Justice.

The finalists were able to introduce themselves to the public while answering the community's questions about everything from guns to accountability.

All three finalists has been with the Providence Police Department for more than 20 years.

Maj. Kevin Lanni has been with the department for 25 years and has spent much of his career as a commanding officer of narcotics, firearms, and organized crime.

Maj. David Lapatin has been with the department for 39 years. He is the commanding officer of the Investigations Division.

He is a familiar face, routinely providing the media with information on investigations.

Cmdr. Oscar Perez is a 29-year veteran of Providence police. He has been serving as the department’s deputy chief and oversees the department's daily operations. He is the acting police chief.

Two hot topics of the night were accountability and training.

"If you have a weak supervisor and they're not holding people in line, that's a problem," Perez said.

"Sergeants on up have to realize that they have not only themselves to worry about, but members under their command," said Lapatin.

When asked about support for the youth, Lanni said in part, "I think it's important to get police officers outside the isolation of their police car."

The candidates said they know LEOBOR needs modifications, with several members from D.A.R.E. showing up to the Providence Career and Technical Academy to voice their concerns.

"Daily life includes being profiled, slammed to the ground, violently grabbed, bruised, verbally assaulted, harassed in and around our homes, searched without warrants, if you know you know, body cams aren't cutting it," D.A.R.E. member Tunji Yerima said.

Mayor Brett Smiley knows the next chief needs to meet the expectations.

"Very mindful of the fact that many members of our Providence community don't feel more safe when they see a police officer, they feel less safe," Smiley said.

Smiley said a decision regarding the next chief should be made in the next few days.

NBC 10's Molly Levine contributed to this report.

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