Hugh T. Clements Jr. appointed as Justice Department’s Director of Community Oriented Policing Services

Justice Department officials said Col. Hugh T. Clements Jr. has been appointed as the new Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).

“The Department’s COPS Office is central to our efforts to strengthen the public trust between communities and law enforcement that is essential to public safety, and I am pleased to announce that Chief Hugh Clements, a nearly 40-year veteran of the Providence Police Department, will be serving as its next Director,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “I am confident that Chief Clements’s leadership will further enable the COPS Office to continue its important work to keep our communities safe and build trust and mutual respect between police and communities, and I look forward to working alongside him.”

Authorities noted the COPS Office is responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the nation’s state, local, territorial and Tribal law enforcement agencies via information and grant resources.

Per the Justice Department, Clements served nearly 40 years with the Providence Police Department in Providence, Rhode Island, and has worked closely with major law enforcement, civil rights, and community organizations.

Clements received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Rhode Island, a Bachelor of Science degree in the Administration of Justice from Roger Williams University, and holds a Master of Science degree in criminal justice from Boston University, officials noted.

The COPS Office has been allocated over $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to over 13,000 state, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of over 136,000 officers.