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Worcester committee: most DOJ-recommended police reforms near completion; two policies, new RMS remain
Summary
At a May 14 meeting, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier told the City Council Public Safety Committee most items from a Department of Justice report have been addressed; the department awaits a records-management software rollout and final signoffs on two policies.
Worcester City Councilor Kate Toomey, chair of the Public Safety Committee, said the committee heard an update May 14 from Police Chief Paul Saucier on the department’s response to a Department of Justice pattern-or-practice review.
Chief Paul Saucier told the committee that “most of them have been addressed” but several items remain pending because the department is awaiting a new records-management system (Hexagon RMS) and final administrative steps for the remaining policies. He said two policies recently returned from the Human Rights Committee must be uploaded to the department’s PowerDMS system before the department can complete its internal signoff and make a public follow-up report.
The committee had previously held the communications from the police department on April 15; Councilor Moe Bergman pressed the chief to list which of the roughly 19 items remain open and the status of each. Saucier said the software rollout will “help disaggregate information” for reporting and that the remaining policies should be complete “within this month.”
Committee members confirmed the department will file a formal follow-up report with the City Council and make the report available on the City of Worcester website once the outstanding items are closed.
The committee treated the DOJ update as an informational communication that had been held from the April meeting and voted to file the materials. The roll-call votes recorded Councilor Bergman, Councilor Ojeda and Councilor Toomey as voting yes on filing the held communications.
During public comment, David Tobias Webb criticized the police response and called the department’s characterization and handling of past investigations inadequate. Webb said some victims who reported incidents were not pursued and expressed distrust in the department’s reporting; his remarks were part of the public-comment record and did not result in formal committee action.
The committee noted there was no recommendation in the DOJ material for a civilian review board. Toomey read the committee’s procedural rules for the remote meeting, and City Solicitor Alexandra Cook confirmed the committee may limit public callers to one speaker per phone call.
Following the update and public comment, the committee adjourned. Less-formal items discussed at the meeting — including details of the RMS procurement timetable and the final policy texts once posted to PowerDMS — will determine the timing of the publicly posted follow-up report and any further committee review.
