Discrepancies in crime reports from the Providence Police Department and the University's Department of Public Safety continue to puzzle members of the community as new reports of such incidents become available.
One reporting discrepancy arose following a recent incident on campus, according to Michelle Nuey, manager of special services for DPS.
A Brown staff member was struck in the face by an acquaintance on Benevolent Street on March 30, Nuey said. DPS officers and a PPD officer responded to the scene and heard the testimony of three witnesses. DPS officers recorded the incident as a simple assault, but the PPD officer recorded the incident as a suppressed disturbance, which is a less serious charge, Nuey said.
Nuey said she was surprised that the PPD officer had not recorded the attack as a simple assault, since witnesses said the assailant had slapped the complainant.
The PPD officer's decision to report the March 30 crime as a suppressed disturbance will make it more difficult for the victim to press charges, Nuey said. "In my mind, classification is key when making a decision in court," she said. She added that such incidents are unfair to victims, who may perceive that their experiences are being "minimized."
Ward 7 City Councilman John Igliozzi said he had never heard of a "suppressed disturbance" charge before. "A disturbance seems to me more like a ticket violation, or a noise complaint," he said. A slap in the face is usually recorded as a simple assault, he said, but he added that he does not know the facts that led the PPD officer to make his decision.
Nuey said she is not aware of any other incidents of the PPD and DPS charging perpetrators with different crimes.
DPS and PPD statistics may, however, reveal differences in classification as early as 2003. Between 2003 and 2004, DPS reported four hate crimes on campus, according to the department's Web site. PPD statistics from the same time period, however, record no hate crimes in the eighth or ninth districts, which include the East Side and Brown's campus.
Igliozzi said he hopes the audit of the PPD's crime statistics and the creation of the Public Safety Committee will answer questions about such discrepancies.
In March, The Herald reported that James Lombardi, the city's internal auditor, had begun an audit of PPD statistics at the request of some concerned council members. The council has also created a Public Safety Committee to look into the matter and to guide Lombardi through his search.
"We need to act proactively and start finding out what's going on," Igliozzi said. "These types of hard questions need to be asked and answered."
Ward 1 City Councilman David Segal said he did not know enough about the ways in which the PPD and DPS report crime to offer an explanation, but he called the discrepancies "troubling."
There may be simple explanations for the discrepancies, Nuey said. DPS reports crime statistics for the Brown campus to state police, so the PPD might only be reporting ninth district crimes that occur off campus to state police, she said.
A PPD officer who asked to remain anonymous said the PPD only records on-campus crimes to which DPS asks them to respond. The officer said DPS often responds to serious crimes without help from the PPD. "They're their own country," the officer said.
DPS and the PPD may simply define crimes differently, Nuey said. She added, however, that she expects a "universal definition" for every crime.
Deputy Police Chief Paul Kennedy and District 9 Commander Lieutenant Paul Campbell could not be reached for comment.
