At about 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Lt. John Ryan heard a car's tires screech loudly as he drove past in his unmarked police car down Hope Street.
"Hey, check what car was that. Grab them, will ya?" he called out to one of his patrol officers who happened to be biking down the street at that moment.
Minutes later, the police had caught and ticketed the delinquent driver at the corner of Thayer and Angell streets.
"You gotta go easy around here," Ryan told him.
And then, turning to this Herald reporter, he said, "It's a bit of education for him. He's not going to be flying around here now."
"We hope," he added, softly.
It is a typical occurrence on a typical day for Ryan, who in January took over as commander of Providence Police District 9, which includes Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design and much of the East Side.
In collaboration with Brown and RISD police, Ryan has worked hard for the past eight months addressing community concerns such as loud noises and graffiti as well as catching rash drivers and preventing local break-ins.
As another school year begins, bringing both new and old students back to College Hill, Ryan and his 25 sergeants and patrol officers at the Brook Street substation are becoming busier.
Ryan, who has lately received several complaints from residents regarding noise and loud music, said college students should have fun but without compromising the safety and comfort of those around them.
"I went to college. College days are fun," said the University of Rhode Island graduate. "We just try to keep problems with the neighbors at a minimum."
Ryan is on the road for seven of the eight hours he works every day, driving around with his front windows rolled down as he tries to see, hear and learn as much as he can about his district. His eyes dart from one side of the street to the other, to his rearview and side mirrors, as he looks for suspicious activity at every corner. He waves to passersby and stops to say hello to other police officers.
In an effort to reach out to his younger constituents, Ryan goes to Hope High School every afternoon, building relationships with the students there and letting the potential troublemakers know that he is around to keep an eye on them.
"If I drive down and they're doing something (wrong), they know I know them," he said. "I don't have to say anything. I just look at them."
Ryan acknowledges that his job sometimes becomes monotonous and routine, even during the school year when the streets are bustling with activity.
But his love of being around people keeps him going.
"I like people, so I meet people every day," he said. "You see them at their best; you see them at their worst."
Or sometimes at their silliest. Last week Ryan said he responded to an urgent call that a Brown student at the corner of Power and Governor streets was carrying a gun.
When he reached the intersection, Ryan found that the person, a Brown graduate student, did have a gun - a water gun.
Another night, as he drove down a campus street he said that he saw a Brown student standing in the middle of the road, refusing to get out of the way of passing cars.
"Some of those practical jokes can turn bad," Ryan said.
During his time in the district, Ryan said he has learned to interact better with different kinds of people - from students of all ages to business owners and angry neighbors.
The Warwick resident said he also tries to be more involved in the East Side community. He goes to concerts at the Brown Street Park and attends almost every basketball game at Hope High School.
"That's the whole thing behind community policing ... you're right there with the people."
