Is anyone else perturbed that Brown University, the Providence Police Department, and other law enforcement involved chose to take a victory lap at Thursday night’s press conference instead of soberly hanging their heads in shame? As my RedState colleague Teri Christoph reported, it was a homeless man who hung around the campus and his Reddit post that broke the case wide open and assisted all involved in apprehending Saturday’s shooting suspect. But if they weren’t glad-handing and patting themselves on the back for this, they were sidestepping accountability for the university’s careless security protocols, terrible communication skills, and overall ineffectualness in maintaining the safety and security of the university campus.
The shooter, who authorities say murdered Ella Cook, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, and MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, thwarted justice by taking his own life. However, it was the incompetence and malfeasance of Brown University and its failure to keep students and faculty safe that appears to have given this evil actor the opportunity to commit murder without so much as an iota of resistance.
Read More: Authorities: Suspected Brown U Shooter Dead of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound, Linked to MIT Killing
Dramatic Audio Captures First Responder, Police Response to Brown University Shooter
Among Brown University’s leadership, Vice President of Public Safety and Management Rodney Chatman should have been too ashamed to even show his face. However, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley made the incredible statement that he was “grateful” for Chatman’s “immediate and heroic response” surrounding the incident.
Excuse me?
WATCH:
In 2021, Chatman left his former campus safety position at the University of Utah under a cloud and subsequently filed a lawsuit for “alleged mistreatment and discrimination.” After several years at Brown University, he has even bigger clouds overhead, and even more so after this shooter debacle. In August and October, Chatman and his second-in-command received votes of no confidence from the police unions that represent the campus officers.
This is not just telling, but frightening.
The Brown University Security Patrolperson’s Association issued a vote of no confidence in Brown University Police Chief Rodney Chatman and Deputy Chief John Vinson, the union announced in a Wednesday press release. This follows an Aug. 27 unanimous vote of no confidence by the Brown University Police Sergeants Union announced last month, The Herald previously reported.
The vote, finalized Oct. 17, “reflects deep concern among the membership regarding the direction and leadership of the Department of Public Safety,” the statement reads.
It seems those concerns were well-founded, and now, tragically, three people are dead. Deaths that may have been prevented had Chatman been focused on security, safety, and the well-being of his staff as well as the university community above all else.
As RedState reported, it took the Providence Police Department over 10 minutes after the first dispatch call of an active shooter being transmitted to enter the Barus and Holley Engineering building to confront the shooter. By that time, the killer had already fled. Had Chatman locked down the university campus immediately and instructed that a perimeter be set, the gunman might have been pinned down and not allowed to escape.
Further, had the FBI and the Providence PD not announced a person of interest (who was soon after released) had been taken into custody, the killer may not have been able to slip away unnoticed, travel to Massachusetts, and murder Nuno Loureiro.
The list of abject failures is long, but these are the ones that are top of mind.
According to the statement, the current DPS administration has prioritized establishing new administrative positions while decreasing the number of officers assigned to field operations. This change, the union says, has “directly contributed to an all-time low in morale and has strained the department’s ability to effectively serve the Brown University community.”
This particular bit of information speaks to why there was no camera footage from Brown DPS.
The statement also cites a “climate of fear and possibility of retaliation” in the department, while also noting that many officers have technology failures in the field. Largely left unresolved, these challenges “have led to high turnover and burnout among officers,” the release reads.
Then there is the security fail of a supposedly secure building that is left unsecured. According to reports, the Barus and Holley Engineering building was supposed to be keycard access-only. Yet the gunman was able to waltz in and casually spray fire on the study group in the building. What is even more gobsmacking is that the hero who helped to identify the killer is a homeless man who was staying housed in the building’s basement!
Dive Deeper: A Homeless Man, a Reddit Post, and the Stunning Break That Blew Open the Brown/MIT Shootings
Morning Minute: Dear Officials – It’s Not About You
How does someone get away with this clear lack of oversight and overt malfeasance? Apparently, when Brown collects $71,000 per student annually on tuition and has an endowment of over seven billion, that gives them carte blanche to pour that money into DEI programs and listening sessions. Things that have little to do with keeping people safe.
Brown DPS hosts listening sessions, where students can bring their concerns to authorities, according to a webpage on the school’s site.
“Within the listening session format, students are encouraged to attend to share thoughts and recommendations into matters that have the potential to impact police-community relations and campus safety programming on Brown’s campus,” the page said, adding that there are “many issues that are deeply concerning to us all.
“Students will also have the opportunity to learn about the department’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) and to provide feedback,” the page says.
In 2016, the campus security department launched its Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), focused on diversity within the campus safety department. Those efforts continue today.
Chatman’s LinkedIn profile also reveals a focus on community-oriented policing rather than public safety.
It is a privilege to serve in the capacity of executive director of public safety and chief of police. I have always said that you can’t effectively police a community unless you are a part of that community. This philosophy describes the manner in which we deliver policing services. We police with compassion and integrity while valuing the authentic relationships we build with community members.
Specialties: My specialties include public speaking, crisis communication and community oriented policing
The university took 20 minutes past the first police dispatch of an active shooter to alert students and staff. Many of the students first learned about the active shooter through an independent app that was not connected to the school. So, that “crisis communication” part of his profile is clearly published fiction.
But this LinkedIn post from early 2025 probably reveals the most about Chatman’s focus and mindset, and why he has received votes of no confidence from his staff.
To my police leaders: please consider removing pictures prominently displayed on your websites and promotional material of your officers engaged in tactical maneuvers and displaying weapons. We all know you have them.
Consider displaying your compassion, and engagement with the community that alleviates the anxiety of our presence.
The pictures posted here depicts an initiative I led with our department entitled “Random Acts of Kindness” week where I encouraged our community to post pictures of themselves being kind to others. I’ve included three of mine from my last campaign1. The empty parking space is a picture I took arriving to work where a spot close to the door was free. I bypassed the spot to allow someone (perhaps someone who may be elderly or have difficulty walking) a chance to park up close
2. I saw one of of our students getting coffee and a snack before class and decided to treat him
3. I made a special “thank you” note to the server at a local restaurant where I often had lunch and shared it with her and her supervisor. The note reads “Every time we eat here, you help make the meal special with your attentiveness and friendly service. It is truly appreciated.”
(of course, it was accompanied by a generous tip)What creative ways can you display kindness and compassion in your work? (all professions)
“Consider displaying your compassion, and engagement with the community that alleviates the anxiety of our presence.” Had Chatman and his team displayed a show of force not only in their images but in their actions and response to threats, the families of Ella Cook, Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, and Nuno Loureiro might be celebrating the holidays instead of planning funerals.
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