Independent review finds Providence response highly effective; City highlights steps already taken to strengthen preparedness
PROVIDENCE, R.I. The City of Providence today released an independent review of the City’s response to the December 13, 2025 mass shooting at Brown University, along with an update on actions the City has taken to strengthen emergency preparedness since the incident.
The independent review, conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), found that Providence’s response was highly effective across City government, highlighting the courage, professionalism and adaptability of first responders and City personnel under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. PERF also found that Providence personnel acted decisively despite incomplete information and that the City’s response met or exceeded key benchmarks for active-shooter and hostile-event responses.
The review identified opportunities to strengthen the systems that support large-scale emergency response, including mutual aid, interoperable communications, investigative work, emergency notifications and joint training.
Importantly, the City did not wait for the completion of the independent review to begin making improvements. Following the Mayor’s After-Action directive in January, City departments began a comprehensive after-action process and implemented immediate corrective actions while PERF conducted its assessment.
“We asked for an independent review because the people of Providence deserve an honest assessment of how their city responded to an unprecedented tragedy,” said Mayor Brett Smiley. “The findings affirm that our police officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, dispatchers, emergency management professionals and other City employees responded with courage, urgency and professionalism when our community needed them most. We also know that every discussion of this response must begin with the people whose lives were changed forever. We will never lose sight of that. Our commitment to preparedness is ultimately about protecting people and giving our first responders every possible advantage when lives are at risk.”
Initial Response
Immediately following the shooting, Providence police, fire, emergency medical, telecommunications and emergency management personnel responded to a rapidly evolving emergency involving an active threat, multiple victims, thousands of emergency calls, a large multi-agency response and a suspect who remained at large.
“Those first minutes were about one thing—saving lives,” said Providence Police Chief Colonel Oscar Perez. “Our officers went toward the danger, searched for the shooter, evacuated victims and immediately began providing aid and getting injured victims to the hospital for urgent medical care. Their response was swift, courageous and focused on protecting life and securing the scene during an extraordinarily dangerous situation. What followed was an equally determined and complex investigation. Our detectives worked methodically, developed and tested leads, used technology, and worked closely with local, state, and federal partners. That work ultimately led to the identification and location of the individual responsible, who was found deceased.”
Working with law enforcement, the Providence Fire Department provided emergency medical care and coordinated rescue and evacuation operations. The Providence Telecommunications Department managed more than 2,000 emergency calls and sustained high-volume radio traffic across multiple channels while supporting police, fire, EMS and mutual aid agencies. The Providence Emergency Management Agency coordinated resources and established and operated a Family Reunification Center for affected students and families during the initial hours.
“The findings of this report come as no surprise and reflect the preparation and work of Providence firefighters. We have trained for incidents like this, and that preparation, along with our coordination with the Providence Police Department, allowed us to quickly evacuate and transport the wounded,” said Providence Fire Chief Derek Silva. “We will use the lessons from this report to continue strengthening our preparedness.”
“I am incredibly proud of the men and women of the Providence Telecommunications Department and their response during the Brown University shooting,” said David Radcliffe, Director of Telecommunications. “Under extraordinary circumstances, our team managed thousands of calls, significant radio traffic, multiple responding agencies, and Tactical Dispatch operations while continuing to serve the entire City. The independent review reinforced what I witnessed firsthand: our personnel responded with professionalism, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to public safety. We also took an honest look at what we could improve and have strengthened our procedures, interoperability, training, technology, and coordination with our public safety partners.”
“The results of the external report highlight the critical importance of investing in planning, training, and exercising for incidents in advance,” said Clara Decerbo, Providence Emergency Management Agency Director. “The time and effort that Providence Public Safety personnel and leadership put into preparedness supported the effective and efficient response to an extremely challenging incident. We are already incorporating lessons learned from our review process to improve responses to any potential future disasters.”
Investigation
The independent review found that the investigation benefited from the disciplined convergence of multiple independent sources of evidence, including video, witness information, license plate reader data, vehicle rental records, cellular information and federal investigative capabilities.
After an initial lead was investigated and ultimately ruled out, investigators reset their focus on identifying the unknown suspect. A structured re-canvass, centralized tip management and continued analysis of video and other evidence eventually led investigators to identify a vehicle associated with the shooter. Federal financial investigative capabilities then helped identify a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, where the suspect was ultimately located on December 18.
“The PERF review recognizes the extraordinary work of our officers, dispatchers, detectives and partner agencies throughout the response and investigation,” said Providence Police Chief Colonel Oscar Perez. “We will build on that work and use the review’s recommendations to make our operational and investigative systems even stronger.”
PERF described the investigative work of Providence Police personnel as “exemplary,” noting their use of technology, careful validation of leads and coordination with partner agencies.
Building on what worked
The City is using the PERF review to strengthen the systems that support large-scale emergency response. Areas identified for continued work include:
- Strengthening the integration of the Providence Police Department’s Real-Time Crime Center with critical partner camera systems and other information sources.
- Developing a more structured framework for managing mutual aid during large-scale incidents.
- Establishing scalable systems for receiving, triaging and managing large volumes of public tips.
- Strengthening interoperable communications protocols and ensuring they are consistently understood and practiced across agencies.
- Improving coordination of patient movement and hospital destinations during mass-casualty incidents.
- Expanding joint training opportunities between police, fire and EMS for active-threat events.
- Establishing a more structured, multi-layered framework for emergency notifications and public messaging.
- Clarifying multi-agency notification and information-sharing responsibilities.
- Strengthening the role of emergency management during the earliest stages of major incidents.
- Expanding citywide and campus-focused training and exercises with Brown University and other regional partners.
Providence has already taken action
In his January letter, Mayor Smiley directed City departments to begin a comprehensive after-action process while PERF conducted its independent assessment that included immediate corrective actions. Since then, Providence has completed or advanced several improvements identified through departmental reviews and reinforced by PERF’s findings.
Among the actions already completed or underway:
- Providence has updated its mutual-aid tracking and dispatch processes for police and fire and has tested the improved system during major events, including the 2026 PVD FIFA Fan Zone.
- The City reviewed and updated its rapid-response protocols and developed additional emergency contact structures to improve coordination during major incidents both internally and with partners.
- Providence deployed a new CodeRED emergency notification system, established tiered emergency communication procedures and updated standardized emergency messaging.
- The City is expanding emergency notification planning and training with PK-12 schools across Providence.
- Telecommunications upgraded the City’s Mobile Command Center and field communications capacity, including new mobile workstations, dedicated command communications, improved connectivity and additional backup equipment.
- Providence Police is continuing work to expand Real-Time Crime Center partnerships with universities, hospitals, schools and other major institutions.
- Police, fire and EMS are strengthening joint active-threat training and behavioral health trainings for employees after critical incidents.
- The City supported the launch of a Resiliency Center and governance structure, following national best practices to support longer-term recovery and behavioral health needs following the shooting. The City remains an active member of the Community Advisory Board, and the Ever Hope Center is now actively open and offering counseling, care coordination, and longer-term healing and recovery services to those impacted.
Together, these efforts reflect a shift from immediate incident response toward long-term improvements in preparedness, coordination, communications, training, community recovery and operational capacity.
Next steps
The City will now coordinate implementation of the PERF recommendations with the affected departments and regional partners, with progress tracked through the City’s established emergency management and public safety planning processes.
“The purpose of this work was always to learn,” Mayor Brett Smiley said. “December 13 showed us what Providence can do when people from across our public safety system come together under extraordinary pressure. It also showed us where our systems can be clearer, faster and better coordinated. We are going to build on what worked, address what can be improved and continue preparing for the incidents we hope never happen.”
The City also recognizes that no review can capture the full human cost of December 13.
Two Brown University students were killed in the shooting, and nine additional students were physically injured. The incident left a profound impact on their families, friends, the Brown community, Providence and the broader community.
The City of Providence thanks PERF for its independent assessment and the municipal employees, Brown University personnel, regional partners and federal agencies who contributed to the response and to the review process.
The full Police Executive Research Forum report is available here.