AG Neronha targets violent crime, hate crimes and protects RI’s environment
Keep up with the latest news from Rhode Island’s attorney general. Read more below about our work to stem violent crime and stand up for all Rhode Islanders.
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré announced that two individuals are facing multiple felony charges stemming from an investigation into firearms and violent crime in the Providence area by investigators from the Providence Police Department and the Office of the Attorney General.
“To effectively combat gun violence in Rhode Island’s urban core, we have to be able to proactively identify those who engage in such criminal activity and recognize that that activity in many instances crosses municipal boundaries,” said Attorney General Neronha.
Following our Office’s recent legal intervention in Champlin’s Realty Associates v. the Coastal Resources Management Council, the Rhode Island Supreme Court issued an order that denied a proposed agreement to expand a marina in Block Island’s Great Salt Pond.
“My Office intervened because the process utilized here by the CRMC and Champlin’s was non-transparent, excluded these important additional stakeholders, and resulted in an agreement that failed to contain the environmental findings necessary to protect one of Rhode Island’s great natural resources – Block Island’s Great Salt Pond,” said Attorney General Neronha. “I am grateful that the Supreme Court agreed with our position, and that this matter will now proceed as it always should have – with the Court’s review of the Superior Court’s well-reasoned decision denying Champlin’s marina expansion.”
As part of the initiative, we hosted virtual orientation and training sessions last week to prepare Liaison Officers to respond more effectively to bias-motivated misconduct as well as properly report hate crimes and will hold an in-person learning session this summer. We’re collaborating with community partners to ensure that the training offers diverse perspectives and best-practice policing strategies.
