Brown Puts Public Safety Chief on Leave After Mass Shooting

Brown University on Monday placed its head of public safety and emergency management on administrative leave following a mass shooting Dec. 13 that left two people dead and nine others injured.

University President Christina Paxson announced in a letter to the campus community that Rodney Chatman, the vice president for public safety and emergency management, was placed on administrative leave "effective immediately."

Paxson said Hugh Clements, Providence's police chief from 2011 to 2023, was named interim vice president for public safety and emergency management and chief of police, "assuming day-to-day leadership of the department."

Clements' appointment "underscores our commitment to clear accountability, leadership continuity, and a sustained focus on campus safety at a time when safety is a critical part of healing and recovery for our community," Paxson wrote.

Chatman came under scrutiny after reported security failures following the shooting deaths of students Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and Ella Cook, who were killed during a study session in a physics building classroom just before finals week.

He was criticized over what has been described as lax security measures and surveillance that allowed the suspected gunman, Claudio Neves Valente, to escape. Valente was found dead Thursday night in a New Hampshire storage facility from what police said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Valente also is suspected of murdering MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, two days after the Brown attack, at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, about 50 miles from Providence.

Although Brown's campus police department collaborates with Providence police, it operates independently. Officers are appointed by the state superintendent of police and are required to attend a state-certified police academy. They have jurisdiction across campus and on streets and highways adjacent to the university.

Chatman has received two no-confidence votes since arriving at Brown in 2021. Both occurred this year, from the university's Security Patrolperson's Association and Police Sergeants Union, according to the Brown Daily Herald student newspaper.

John Rossi, a national union representative, has served as an intermediary between the unions and Brown administrators. He told The Providence Journal in November that union members were unwilling to speak on the record out of fear of retaliation. Multiple federal Unfair Labor Practice charges have been filed in connection with firings and alleged forced resignations.

Other union concerns have included workplace toxicity and fear of retaliation against union members for filing grievances or exercising other rights.

Paxson's letter outlined three actions Brown plans to take, including forming a rapid response team focused on immediate safety and security measures during winter break and ahead of the spring semester.

Brown will also commission an external "After-Action Review," which will include an assessment of campus safety leading up to the shooting, preparedness and response on the day of the attack, and emergency management actions in its aftermath.

In addition, the university will initiate a comprehensive external safety and security review of the entire campus, including policies, procedures, infrastructure, and training.

A committee of the Corporation of Brown University will oversee both reviews. Paxson said the findings will be "thorough and comprehensive," and that key outcomes will be shared publicly.

"The concerns our community has about safety and security are real," Paxson wrote. "And I share them.

"As we work to heal and recover, our primary focus is to nurture a thriving campus by attending to the psychological and social health of all members of our community while we also demonstrate that Brown is still Brown — a safe, inclusive, caring community of talented students and scholars and dedicated staff.

"But this work begins with taking all steps to ensure that our campus is a safe place to work, live and learn. We are unwavering in this commitment," Paxson said.