{"id":51360,"date":"2022-11-15T20:29:29","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T04:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=51360"},"modified":"2022-11-15T21:16:41","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T05:16:41","slug":"feds-investigating-worcester-police-for-excessive-forced-and-race-and-sex-discrimination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=51360","title":{"rendered":"Feds Investigating Worcester Police for Excessive Force and Race and Sex Discrimination"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"node-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">According to officials, the Justice Department opened a pattern or practice investigation into the Worcester Police Department in Massachusetts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZAtxdmNXgu8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">This civil investigation will assess whether WPD engages in a pattern or practice of excessive force or discriminatory policing based on race or sex. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">The investigation will include a comprehensive review of policies, procedures, training, investigatory files, and data. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">The investigation will also include a review of WPD\u2019s accountability systems, including its systems to address misconduct complaints and discipline. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">The department will also evaluate how WPD officers interact with the public, collect evidence, and complete investigations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4gdKjud2iUk\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-pr-body field--type-text-long field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">\u201cBased 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,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">The investigation is being conducted pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which prohibits state and local governments from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives individuals of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">The statute allows the department to remedy such misconduct through civil litigation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">The Justice Department will assess law enforcement practices under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the Safe Streets Act of 1968, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">This is the second investigation of a Massachusetts law enforcement agency conducted under this statute.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\"> In 2018, the Justice Department opened an investigation of the Springfield Police Department, which was resolved by a consent decree in 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">Prior to this announcement, department officials informed Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty, Worcester Acting City Manager Eric Batista and Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent of the investigation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">They pledged to cooperate with the investigation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px;\">As part of this investigation, the department officials will reach out to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with WPD.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to officials, the Justice Department opened a pattern or practice investigation into the Worcester Police Department in Massachusetts. This civil investigation will assess whether WPD engages in a pattern or practice&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3255],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-federal-court"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Feds Investigating Worcester Police for Excessive Force and Race and Sex Discrimination<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to officials, the Justice Department opened a pattern or practice investigation into the Worcester Police Department in Massachusetts. 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