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According to the Justice Department, police officers in Worcester, Massachusetts were involved in sexual misconduct. The investigation revealed that the Police Department used unnecessary force and permitted undercover officers to engage in sexual activities with women who were believed to be prostitutes.
Written by Jenna Russell
The Justice Department conducted a two-year investigation in Worcester, Mass. and discovered troubling behavior by the police, such as using excessive force and engaging in sexual contact with women suspected of prostitution.
The civil rights division of the department released a report on Monday that outlined instances of police misconduct in Worcester, a city in central Massachusetts with a population of 207,000, that date back at least five years. The report confirmed allegations from women’s advocates in the city that police officers had deceived or coerced women believed to be prostitutes into engaging in sexual acts and offered reduced or no punishment in return for sex.
After investigating, federal officials determined that the Worcester Police Department had insufficient policies, training, supervision, investigations, and discipline, which allowed for unlawful behavior to continue. They were also worried about the possibility of biased and discriminatory treatment of Black and Hispanic residents due to the department’s enforcement practices, which led to disproportionate arrests and use of force against these communities.
Brian T. Kelly, a lawyer representing the Police Department, expressed disapproval of a report that he believed was unfair, inaccurate, and biased. He felt that the report unfairly tarnished the reputation of the entire Worcester police force, rather than focusing on specific officers who may be responsible for any wrongdoing. Kelly suggested that if the allegations in the report are true, those individual officers should be held accountable and face prosecution.
Mr. Kelly stated that the report contained many factual errors and did not take into account information from the city that disproves many of the anonymous allegations.
Take a look at the report from the Justice Department. They conducted a two-year investigation that revealed troubling behavior by the police in Worcester, Mass. This behavior included using excessive force and engaging in sexual activity with women suspected of being involved in prostitution.
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