By Thomas J. Morgan
A year ago today:
Rhode Island's largest police force has shrunk by 12.3 percent because of the city's fiscal problems. But Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré vows that a smaller force will be sufficient to fight crime.
5 years ago today:
The state Department of Transportation says that it will permanently close Exit 20 on Route 95 north, which has for decades carried traffic from the south to Route 195 east, toward Cape Cod.
25 years ago today:
Employees of Spencer Plating Co., who witnessed a purse snatching on Bellevue Avenue near the plant in the West End, chase the robber into a nearby house, then surround the building until police arrive and arrest the man.