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Worcester launched hotline to report police misconduct after scathing DOJ report
The hotline at 774-548-1696 is live as of Monday to report discrimination, bias, harassment, or excessive force from members of the Worcester Police Department.
Following a scathing report released detailing alleged civil rights violations by the Worcester Police Department, city officials launched a hotline Monday to report any alleged misconduct.
The hotline at 774-548-1696 is live as of Monday, Worcester City Manager Eric Batista announced. Members of the public can report any discrimination, bias, harassment, or excessive force to the city’s Executive Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
“I want to reaffirm the municipality’s unwavering commitment to the safety of all residents,” said Kevin Lovaincy, the city’s chief equity officer, in a press release. “All investigations conducted within the EODEI will be performed impartially, without bias, to ensure a system of checks and balances that protects the integrity of the process and upholds accountability.”
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If the call isn’t answered, residents should leave a voicemail, officials said. The city also launched an online form to report any alleged misconduct.
DOJ: Worcester police officers sexually assaulted suspected sex workers
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice said its two-year civil investigation into the city’s department found multiple civil rights violations, including that officers allegedly sexually assaulted women and escalated minor incidents with force.
Officers would unreasonably use their tasers or police dogs to injure already subdued people or people who did not pose a threat, the DOJ said.
Some officers also allegedly had sex with prostitutes while on the clock, inappropriately engaged with suspected sex workers while undercover, and sexually assaulted women by demanding sex acts in exchange for police assistance, the DOJ said.
Worcester police investigation
The report also alleges that the force did not have adequate supervision or any policy to document that officers document traffic stops, which the report said disproportionately affect Black and Hispanic people.
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The hotline comes as the city disputes some findings of the report. Brian T. Kelly, a lawyer representing the city and the department, said in a statement to The Boston Globe that the report was “an unfair, inaccurate, and biased report which unfairly smears the entire Worcester police force.”
Batista, however, said in a statement following the report that many of the recommendations in the report have either been implemented or are in progress and that he plans to propose a Civilian Review Board to the City Council.
“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,” his statement read.
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