Council Members Seek Stronger Police Presence in Newport

During Wednesday night's City Council meeting, City Manager Jane Howington addressed Monday's press conference and the hiring of a communications liaison.

Howington said the pilot project for the liaison would run for approximately nine to twelve weeks, at about 30 hours per week.

The liaison will develop guidelines and plans on operations maintenance for new communications initiatives, including developing focus groups with businesses and neighborhood groups, and analyzing internal needs for communication. If the project is successful, the position may be included in the budget proposal. Howington  said she did not anticipate the position to become full-time. 

Councilor Naomi Neville said she thought the idea of a communication liaison was a positive one, but in the bigger picture, there is still a feeling that the community is not as safe as it once was. 

Whether or not there is an actual uptick in crime or is simply perceived is not the issue, she said.

“I was expecting and was wanting to hear that there's more police on the streets. . .as a more immediate solution.”

Councilor Kathryn Leonard agreed with the need for a stronger police presence on the streets of Newport and called the hiring of a communication liaison “far from an accomplishment.”

“I think it's a piece of it,” she said. “We need to have visible police presence. . .and a feeling of safety for our residents and people who visit.”

According to Councilor Napolitano, the press conference was a premature step in addressing the issue of assaults in Newport.

“I wasn't consulted about the press conference,” she said. “I don't think we should have had one. I don't think the public received the information they needed.”

“This is the time we need to come together and benefit from everything the police department is doing.”

Regarding to the Council's request for a more visible police presence around town, Howington said the City and police department have already responded to those issues.

Police have addressed Salve Regina University students about recent assault reports and the Chamber of Commerce has reached out to local businesses on Broadway. 

Howington said the city will continue to concentrate on focus groups and having undercover officers patrolling on foot, bicycles and in cars depending on what intelligence is gathered.

“The point here is the police are doing their work,” Howington said, citing bridging the communication gap as her main concern. “We need to give them some relief so they can do their police work.”

A reason the public has become concerned with safety is because information is not coming directly from the city, Councilor Stephen Coyne added. He said by the time information reaches residents, it has been changed or stretched.

By filling the role of communications liaison, the City will better understand how to communicate with both residents and businesses.

“We need effective communication coming from a source gathering everything from City Hall and the the police department who then funnels it out."