The Department of Public Safety's July expansion into the Jewelry District — which included establishment of a new substation and assignment of a six-officer rotation — has been successful, said Mark Porter, chief of public safety. DPS expects to increase its presence in the area in the future.
"Officers are doing a great job," Porter said, citing visibility of law enforcement in the area, collaboration with both the Providence Police Department and Brown community members and timely response by the new officers as markers of the substation's utility.
Officers are not permanently assigned to the substation and serve on a rotating basis, staffing the area between 3 p.m. and 3 a.m. every day. When an officer is needed at other times, DPS must pull patrol resources from the College Hill campus. The officers are "being proactive and engaging in the community," Porter said. DPS has been pleased with performance so far.
Kevin O'Connor, a DPS night operation commander, runs the Jewelry District substation and supervises the activity there. The substation has no holding area or fingerprinting capability, making it less well-equipped than the campus station to respond to crimes. Officers instead "do basic shift activity such as write reports and interview victims," Porter said.
DPS expects to increase the patrol staff to accommodate upcoming city developments including a city park adjacent to Brown's campus, Porter said. "We anticipate an increase in activity as time goes on, so it only makes sense to increase patrol staff," Porter said.
