Justice Department investigating Massachusetts police department
Federal prosecutors are investigating whether the police department in Massachusetts' second-largest city has a pattern of excessive use of force or discriminatory policing based on race or gender, the Justice Department announced.
Investigators will review the Worcester Police Department's policies and training, as well as the department's systems to address and discipline misconduct. The investigation will also evaluate how the police department's officers interact with the public and investigate crimes, the Justice Department said in a statement Tuesday.
“Based on information provided to the Justice Department, we find significant justification to investigate whether the Worcester Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of racially discriminatory and gender-biased policing, and uses excessive force,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Worcester, a city of about 200,000 residents, is roughly 40 miles west of Boston.
In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, the Justice Department launched similar investigations into police departments in Minneapolis, Louisville and Phoenix. In June, the department launched a sweeping civil rights investigation into the Louisiana State Police as the agency faced backlash over the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene.
Investigators resolved a pattern and practice investigation into the Springfield Police Department in Massachusetts with a consent decree earlier this year, according to the Justice Department.
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The Justice Department didn't mention a specific incident that led to the investigation into the Worcester department.
In April, a Black man filed a federal lawsuit against the city and five police officers, claiming he was wrongfully charged with murder based on race and what his attorneys called fabricated evidence.
The suit cites nine others, dating back to 2012, in which Worcester police have been accused of fabricating evidence, including the case of Christopher Ayala-Melendez, who sued the department in 2020 claiming the department used excessive force and violated his civil rights during an arrest.
A father and son filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city, the police department and two of its officers after an officer used a stun gun on the Rev. Joseph Rizzuti Sr. while arresting him, his son and his son’s wife on Aug. 25, 2019. Rizzuti Sr. and his son, both preachers, were acquitted of six charges related to the incident last month, accoding to the Telegram & Gazette, part of the Paste BN Network.
"I am well aware that the overwhelming majority of officers serve and do their jobs with honor, pride, restraint and distinction," U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement. "The purpose of this civil investigation is to determine – through objective and thorough examination – whether or not there is an overall pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitution or federal law."
Police Chief Steven Sargent, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty and acting City Manager Eric Batista released a joint statement pledging to cooperate with the investigation.
“The city and Worcester Police Department collectively strive to deliver the highest quality of municipal services to residents and will continue to do so in a transparent and professional manner as the investigation takes its course," the statement said.
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Contributing: Brad Petrishen and Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette; The Associated Press
Contact Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg at nyanceybra@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @NdeaYanceyBragg