Providence Police Department

The Providence Police Department (PPD) is the official police force for the city of Providence, the capital of Rhode Island. The city is one of the oldest in the US, and so is its police force, with a history that spans three centuries.

Locations & Facilities

325 Washington St
Providence, RI 02903
+1 401-272-3121

The primary police complex of the Providence Police Department is located at 325 Washington Street, on Federal Hill. The department is in a larger building that houses the Providence Public Safety Complex. Both the fire department and municipal court can be found here.

If you’re going to enter the building, make sure to approach it from Dean Street, as the entrance to the police department headquarters is located in front of the parking lot for the establishment, right on Dean St.

Parking

The PPD is not located in a densely populated area, so you’ll have an easy time finding an available parking spot anywhere around. There are several parking lots on all sides of the Public Safety Complex.

Other Locations – Districts and Posts

Providence Police Department has a decentralized system, where the city is divided into districts, and each has its own police substation and a commanding District Lieutenant:

District 1 – Substation on Kennedy Plaza, Downtown
District 2 – Substation on 693 Broad Street
District 3 – Substation on 1380 Broad Road
District 4 – Substation on 200 Cranston Street
District 5 – Substation on 204 Magnolia Street
District 6 – Substation on 1276 Chalkstone Avenue
District 7 – Substation on 205 Camden Street
District 8 and 9 – Substation on 248-250 Brook Street

Motto

The motto of the Providence Police Department is a Latin phrase Semper Vigilans. It means Always Vigilant and represents the central belief of the entire police department.

Jurisdiction and Numbers

PPD serves an area of 20.58 square miles and a population that’s fast approaching 180,000 people. The urban and metro areas are much larger, with the latter having a population of as many as 1.6 million people. Still, the Providence Police Department only serves the city of Providence, while other police forces are in charge of different locations within the larger metropolitan sphere.

According to the PPD’s latest reports, the police force of Providence numbers more than 440 sworn officers and around 100 civilian employees. They operate on an annual budget of approximately $85 million.

The police force consists of the following divisions:

Administrative Division (Weapons Homeland, Accreditation, Human Resources, etc.)
Unifrom Division (Operations and Operations Support)
Investigative Division (Narcotics, Detectives, B.C.I., and Y.S.B.)

Chief of Police

The current Police Chief is Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr. He became a sworn police officer in 1985 and has been a part of the PPD ever since.

For more than three decades, he served faithfully and diligently, advancing through the ranks to reach the position of Deputy Chief, and then soon after, in 2011, he became the acting Chief. In 2012, he officially got appointed the 37th Police Chief and earned the rank of Colonel.

The Deputy Chief is Commander Thomas A. Verdi, also a long-term member of the police force.

Online Services

The Providence Police Department is committed to helping and serving the people of Providence, which is why they have ensured to create several online services you can use directly on the site of the police. Here are the most important ones.

Citizens Online Police Reporting System

You can use the website to file several non-emergency reports:

To learn more about the system, visit the website.

Accident or Incident Report

If you need it, you can always purchase a specific crash or accident report directly on the site.

Community Security Camera Registration

If you want to register your camera and keep your community safe, you can do so on the site. Click here to learn more about the program.

Jobs

The Providence Police Department is always on the lookout for people willing and capable to become a part of their dedicated police force. Naturally, there are several requirements you need to meet and complete several selection processes, and you can learn all about them on this online brochure.

Recruits at the Police Training Academy can look forward to a $10.10 hourly salary, while 3rd-grade officers have a $54,786 annual salary. There are also benefits, like 12 paid holidays, 15 sick days annually, paid vacation days, and more.

Social Media & Website

Here is the official website of the Providence Police Department, as well as its official social media accounts:

For all non-emergencies, you can reach the police department of the city of Providence by dialing 401-680-5000.

For emergencies, always call 911

You can send a compliment to the police force or a specific officer, but you can also send a complaint, all through the website.