Officials Give Their Thoughts On Provencher’s Passing

Mayor Jon Mitchell, Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson, and City Council President Brian Gomes all spoke with WBSM's Phil Paleologos to express their thoughts on the passing of New Bedford Police Chief David Provencher.

Mitchell called Provencher a "cop's cop" who made the city's police force better and the City of New Bedford safer.

"He elevated the professionalism in the department, the department is as well managed as it's ever been nowadays," said Mitchell "and in a very complex city he was able to do a very effective job and make the city a safer place."

Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson called provencher a true leader in the field of law enforcement who inspired others to perservere even as he faced a devastating illness.

"He showed us that courage and focus and, sort of looking forward, can be an inspiration and something that all of us need to do," said Hodgson "when we think that sometimes things aren't going as well as we always might like, he showed us 'look you rise above that and you focus on the things that matter.'"

City Council President Brian Gomes said that he worked with many police chiefs during his career, but that there was something special about David Provencher.

"I worked with alot of chiefs as Chairman of Public Safety, this was one chief that was there for you all the time, and if he didn't feel comfortable about something he wasn't afraid to say it," said Gomes "and it was just a great working relationship between the City Council's Public Safety Committee, the city council in general, and David's approach to everything in the city."

State Representative Antonio Cabral also issued a statement expressing his condolences to the Provencher family.

“I know all of my neighbors across the 13th Bristol District join me in extending our condolences to Chief Provencher’s family at this difficult time," said Cabral "Chief Provencher’s many years of service to the people of New Bedford will be sorely missed and long remembered.”

Provencher who died Sunday night at St. Luke's Hospital from respiratory arrest. He was 59-years-old.