DOJ closes investigation into Worcester Police Department after years-long misconduct probe

WORCESTER, Mass. — The Department of Justice has closed its investigation into the city of Worcester after a federal investigation previously found the police department engaged in “outrageous government conduct,” “excessive force,” and “sexual misconduct” by officers, the city said Friday

The DOJ informed Worcester city officials Thursday that the investigation would be closed, noting that the Worcester Police Department had taken significant steps to improve its practices both before the scathing 2024 report was published and in the nearly two years following.

The DOJ-published 2024 report revealed a pattern of excessive force and misconduct among Worcester officers during a two-year-long investigation. The Department of Justice alleged that officers used tasers and police dogs unnecessarily, and engaged in sexual misconduct with women under the threat of arrest during undercover operations.

In one of many examples of excessive use of force highlighted in the report, an officer responding to a mental health call to help transport a man to a hospital for an emergency psychiatric evaluation hit the man in the face while he was restrained and lying on a hospital stretcher in July 2020.

The feds also said the department violated the constitutional rights of women suspected of being involved in the commercial sex trade by engaging in sexual contact while undercover as part of official investigations. The DOJ’s findings also expressed serious concerns about credible reports that officers have sexually assaulted women under threat of arrest.

In 2025, in the wake of the report, Worcester city leaders enacted more than a dozen changes, including:

Creating a new “Use of Force Committee” to review Level 4 or higher use of force incidents.
Updating its K-9 policy to “prohibit the deployment of canines at mass gatherings and riot scenes.”
Updating its “undercover operations policy” to not require subjects to enter a car during prostitution stings.
Enacted new training, adding an additional 40 hours of Crisis Intervention Team training for to the police academy
400 officers received ‘Duty to Intervene’ training from a retired FBI Civil Rights Unit Chief

“I want to thank the DOJ for recognizing the positive steps the WPD has taken to strengthen its policies and practices and for their thorough attention to this matter,” City Manager Eric D. Batista said in a statement Friday. “I also want to thank Chief Saucier and the entire department for working cooperatively with the DOJ and for their work every day that helps make Worcester one of the safest mid-sized cities in the country. While the DOJ investigation may be closed, we remain committed to proactive evaluation and improvement.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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