The Worcester City Council Public Safety Committee voted to withdraw and file a petition that had asked the city manager to request that the U.S. Department of Justice release and present, in public, the full investigatory report into alleged misconduct by members of the Worcester Police Department.

The petition, submitted on March 25, 2025, was filed on behalf of the International Brotherhood of Police Officials, Local 504, and the New England Police Benevolent Association, Local 911, and asked the city manager to ask the DOJ to include “the dates, times and names of all individuals alleged to have committed the stated misconduct.” An email read into the record from Richard (Rick) Cipro asked that the petition be withdrawn and filed. The committee approved a motion to withdraw and file the order on a roll-call vote of Councilor Morris Bergman — yes; Councilor Lewis Ojeda — yes; Chair Councilor Kate Toomey — yes.

The committee heard multiple members of the public during the allotted public-comment period. John Enriqueo of Irving Street argued the petition was procedurally flawed, saying, “This petition was filed incorrectly because it requests the city council to ask the city manager to do something that’s outside of a statutory authority,” and asserted the item mixes civil and criminal investigatory authorities. David Webb, who identified himself as a Worcester resident now living in Olympia, called the item “procedurally incorrect” and said he had sued the department for pattern-or-practice issues. Fred Nathan and Tom Marino urged public release of the report so the community could address systemic problems; Nathan said, “If there are some cops who are bad, this report needs to be made public and there needs to be a public forum about it.”

Commenters disputed whether the city manager has authority to compel a federal agency to release investigatory material. One public speaker argued the petition improperly asked for multiple remedies and said petitions must be single items. Others, citing settlements and what they described as longstanding issues, urged fuller public accountability and a comprehensive approach rather than piecemeal responses.

Committee members took no additional direction to staff during the meeting; the formal action recorded was the committee’s vote to withdraw and file the petition. The committee did not, in this session, direct the city manager or police leadership to take further investigatory or disclosure actions, and no ordinance, resolution, or formal referral to another body was made on the record.

The discussion underscored a split in public opinion: some members of the public urged immediate public disclosure and forum, while others — including the union correspondent whose email was read into the record — sought the petition’s withdrawal. Because the petition sought action involving a federal investigatory report, several speakers emphasized the limits of local authority over federal agencies and questioned whether the requested action would be legally or procedurally possible.

The committee then moved on to other agenda items.