Rhode Island Project Safe Neighborhoods 2023

The Rhode Island Project Safe Neighborhood “Urban Corridor” Task Force seeks to build on the multi-jurisdiction information sharing model previously established through the PSN program. This effort includes the Cities of Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Cranston, Woonsocket, Warwick, and the Rhode Island State Police. The enforcement plan is built around strategic enforcement that is focused on the individuals driving crime.
 
The plan is based on the understanding that today’s violent criminals are highly mobile and interconnected by social media, with urban communities, both large and small, experiencing similar challenges. These common challenges have been identified as:

Gang related violence associated with night clubs; particularly late night/closing time violent altercations sometimes associated with violent actors from outside of their respective communities.
The rise in fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking, and the appearance of xylazine across communities in Rhode Island.
The need for aggressive tracing/tracking of firearms across communities (shooters’ firearms often are held by partners/associates residing in neighboring cities - holding the weapons for gang members from across municipalities).
Behavioral health, mental health, and substance abuse challenges resulting in violence.

For the 2023 Project Safe Neighborhoods project, the Task Force will seek first to enhance its intelligence analysis capability through additional supplemental staffing or through deployment of open-source intelligence tools. The second goal is to coordinate with the new State Crisis Intervention Program and efforts around the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative.