Worcester City Manager Eric D. Batista announced several initiatives Tuesday afternoon after a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation found city police used excessive force, engaged in sexual misconduct and engaged in discriminatory enforcement.
Among the new initiatives is the establishment of a hotline for members of the public to report misconduct by police officers. This hotline will be managed outside of the police department by the investigations division within the Executive Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (EODEI), according to Batista.
The training division within the EODEI will lead training sessions, seminars and workshops on behavioral health, implicit bias and additional topics, all of which will align with and inform written policy within the police department, the statement said.
The findings in the 41-page DOJ report were both “unacceptable and shocking,” Batista wrote in a statement. He said it was unfathomable to him that any police officer or employee of the city could or would have acted in manners he described as “unlawful egregious, and immoral.”
He added that the public has trust in their government and its public safety institutions and that faith must be earned.
“While the DOJ investigation focused on a timeframe between 2018 to 2022, it is my administration’s duty to make necessary changes to prevent any future misconduct,” Batista said in the statement.
In the coming weeks, Batista will prepare a report for the Worcester City Council to review, laying out the structure of a Civilian Review Board. Members of the community will also participate in the discussion about the new board’s formation.
In addition to these priorities, Batista plans to have the EODEI and Worcester Police Department work cooperatively with Worcester’s Human Rights Commission on training and policy overview, according to his statement.
On Dec. 9, the DOJ released a 41-page report that found members of the Worcester Police Department (WPD) used excessive force, engaged in sexual misconduct and engaged in discriminatory enforcement practices. This included officers using stun guns, deploying police dogs and striking people in the head without justification. The report followed a two-year civil investigation conducted by the department.
The Justice Department outlined 19 recommendations for the police department, ranging from making improvements in the use of force and escalation standards to “a complete prohibition on engaging in sexual contact for law enforcement purposes.”
The city has already begun improving data collection and demographic analytics, Batista’s statement said. Data, including use of force incidents and Bureau of Professional Standards investigations, is currently accessible on our open data portal Informing Worcester.
Batista recently signed a contract with a new software provider to help enhance reporting and data capabilities. Conversion to the new software is expected to take 12 to 18 months for full implementation, his statement said.
“In the meantime, the members of the Worcester Police Department, who overwhelmingly serve our community with integrity and compassion, will continue their ongoing community outreach to build relationships and trust while continuing to refine and improve Department policies. I take this matter very seriously and pledge to ensure that the proper policies and procedures are in place for accountability.”
Mayor Joseph Petty announced on Tuesday he intends to request Batista to report back to the city council with recommendations on the next steps within the next 30 days while the city receives and processes the investigative reports from the DOJ.
“While I wait for the action items to be fulfilled by the Administration, I want to ensure that this process shows compassion and empathy to those who have been impacted, including members of the BIPOC community and survivors of the commercial sex trade,” Petty said in a statement.
