The city of Worcester has unveiled its new police misconduct hotline, which officials hope will make it easier for citizens to report concerns about police behavior following a bombshell report from the Department of Justice accusing the Worcester Police Department of civil rights violations.
According to the city, the new line is for reporting issues like discrimination, bias, harassment or the use of excessive force. All complaints will be reviewed by the city's Executive Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
The hotline can be reached by phone at 774-548-1696, or reports can be made online by filling out a form on the City of Worcester's website. Complaints can also be made in person by visiting the office at 51 Sever St. The hotline is active as of Monday, Dec. 16.
City Manager Eric D. Batista also said the Executive Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will help review training and policy and then offer more trainings on topics like implicit bias and behavioral health.
The scathing report that prompted the changes detailed what federal investigators called "outrageous government conduct" involving officers and women in the sex trade, as well as the use of excessive force.
The report from the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division found a pattern or practice of allowing officers to engage in sexual contact with women suspected of being involved in the commercial sex trade as well as the unjustified uses of tasers and police dogs and strikes to the head. Investigators also raised concerns over the possibility of racially discriminatory policing.
Brian T. Kelly, a lawyer representing the police department, previously said police and city officials have cooperated with the federal investigation. He also called the report “unfair, inaccurate and biased."
“Instead of identifying individual officers who could – and should – be prosecuted if these serious allegations were true, DOJ has prepared a report by civil lawyers with no prosecutorial experience which makes incredibly broad allegations but fails to identify a single corrupt officer,” Kelley said in a written statement.
“The report is riddled with factual inaccuracies and ignores information provided by the city which debunks many of the anonymous claims,” he added.
Mayor Joseph Petty said last week he was taking the report's findings "very seriously," but also questioned some of the findings.
He also said he has faith in interim Police Chief Paul Saucier and said that, following a voluntary racial equity audit, the department has already made changes.
"I believe we will only continue to work toward following the recommendations advised by our racial equity audit consultant by ensuring our police department operates justly," Petty said, adding, "I want to recognize the many dedicated, hardworking members of the Worcester Police Department for their ongoing commitment to serve the community – I appreciate their service to our city."
City councilors are calling for accountability and transparency, as discussed at a meeting last week.
Read the federal investigation into Worcester police
In announcing the findings, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division noted that it's the first time the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division "issued a pattern or practice finding involving sexual misconduct by officers."
She said the department looks “forward to working with city officials to institute reforms that build on their own preliminary efforts but that will fully bring an end to these unlawful and unconstitutional practices.”
The report found that Worcester police officers “rapidly escalated minor incidents by using more force than necessary” including during encounters with people who have behavioral health disabilities or are in crisis — a violation of the Fourth Amendment.
The report also includes what investigations describe as “concerns about some credible reports that officers have sexually assaulted women under threat of arrest and engaged in other sexual misconduct; and concerns that WPD lacks adequate policies and practices to respond to and investigate sexual assaults by officers and others.”
The report makes a series of recommendations from improving training on the use of force, requiring officers to report misconduct, mandate the use of body-worn cameras and require supervisors to review footage to monitor officer performance.
The report also calls on the police department to provide training about permissible investigative techniques to enforce laws about buying and selling sex, including a complete prohibition on engaging in sexual contact for law enforcement purposes.
The Justice Department opened the investigation on Nov. 15, 2022.
The legal director of the ACLU of Massachusetts called the findings "alarming."
"We urge local officials to work together with the DOJ to adopt and implement reforms to address the egregious misconduct described in the report. We also call on local and state officials to follow up on these findings to pursue their own investigations into misconduct in Worcester," Jessie Rossman said in a statement. "This is critical because such misconduct may undermine the integrity of numerous criminal cases in which the officers referenced in the report were involved."
Engaging in sexual contact while undercover as part of official investigations violates the 14th Amendment’s due process clause, according to the report.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
