WORCESTER, Mass. — A Department of Justice investigation into the Worcester Police Department has found reasonable cause to believe the WPD and the City of Worcester engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law.
The investigation found the police department has problems with excessive force, inappropriate sexual behavior toward women while working undercover, sexual assault allegations and racial discrimination.
The DOJ report includes steps the department needs to take to remedy the issues they found. It found the department violated both the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments through its actions.
Brian Kelly, an attorney for the city, said the WPD is already working on systemic changes, and the city and the WPD are committed to improving policies and procedures and working with both DOJ and the community to ensure public safety and a well-run police force.
“…the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division has issued an unfair, inaccurate, and biased report which unfairly smears the entire Worcester police force by claiming there is a pattern or practice by the WPD to engage in excessive use of force and sexual harassment of prostitutes,” Kelly said.
Since November 2022, the DOJ had been looking into these concerns, and their findings include reports of officers sexually assaulting women under the threat of arrest, undercover officers having sexual contact with women suspected of being involved in the commercial sex trade, and the use of excessive force in encounters with people who have behavioral health disabilities.
Worcester City Council Vice Chairman Khrystian King and Councilor Morris Bergman were still processing the report Monday afternoon in the hours following its release, but both had a few takeaways.
“One of the things that stuck out to me was our need to continually improve upon our response to folks who are in the midst of a mental health crisis,” King said.
“I would assume there has to be some agreement down the road to look at these issues and satisfy the concerns that were raised in the report,” Bergman said.
While the aforementioned Kelly issued a statement on behalf of the City of Worcester and the Worcester Police Department, King made it a point to say Kelly is not a spokesperson for the city as a whole.
“I want to be very clear with folks here in the city of Worcester that we should not be abdicating our responsibility as elected officials or appointees,” King said. “It’s very important that we’re heard from, that’s how you establish trust.”
On the issue of discriminatory policing, the report found no constitutional violations, mentioning reforms the city has undertaken since the investigation began while noting it will take more effort in the years ahead.
“WPD’s failure to track and analyze crucial data prevents it from understanding what is contributing to the years-long racial disparities in its enforcement data and from working to address those disparities,” the report states.
King said he’s advocated for better data collection, and said the report as a whole points to a need for greater transparency to regain public trust.
“It appears as though civilian review with subpoena power is necessary at this time,” King said. “As an additional tool that we can use to fortify public trust.”
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy called the findings of the report "serious and sobering."
“Excessive force and sexual misconduct at the hands of officers who took an oath to serve and protect deeply diminishes the public’s trust in its sworn officers,” said Levy. “The actions by certain officers who engaged in this conduct are not a reflection of the many hard-working and ethical officers at the WPD who did not engage in such misconduct or the thousands of police officers around the Commonwealth who serve with honor every day. While the findings announced in today’s report are serious and sobering, today we start a new chapter.”
Levy added that he looks forward to working with the City of Worcester and the new leadership at the Worcester Police Department to implement reforms that will prevent these incidents from reoccurring.