Most Complaints Against Worcester Police End In Favor Of Officers

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester police collected a higher number of complaints against officers in 2019, but just a fraction ended up in favor of the person who complained, according to a report delivered this week by Bureau of Professional Standards Capt. Ken Davenport.

Fifty-three complaints were filed in 2019, but there were 127 separate misconduct allegations contained in them. Out of the 127 allegations, just 6 were sustained, Davenport told the Human Rights Commission on Monday. The department received 44 complaints in 2018, Davenport said.

A majority of the complaints, 76, exonerated the officer. Twelve were not sustained, nine were "unfounded," and another nine were resolved while the complaint was being made. Two of the complaints were determined to be a "policy failure," which faults the department's standards, not the officer. One complaint with seven allegations was still being investigated as of Monday.

Six of the allegations were "exceptionally cleared." That means the department could not complete an investigation due to a lack of information, like a missing witness, Davenport explained.

The top three areas for complaints were: route five, which includes the downtown area and police headquarters, had 12; route three, which includes the neighborhoods north of Route 9 and east of I-290, had three; and route twelve south of the downtown area also had three.

Human Rights Commissioner Elizabeth O'Callahan questioned how the number of complaints against Worcester officers compared to other local cities like Boston and Springfield. But Davenport said there's nothing available to add context.

"I haven't seen a report that shows all the departments across the United States," he said.

Davenport also said the department would not release details about discipline for police because it's a "personnel matter." O'Callahan also asked how the public could find out more about allegations against individual officers. Davenport said that a new police reform bill — which is currently held up in the state Legislature — might be able to help with that.

The department is looking at buying a new software system called PowerDMS to track discipline and other issues.

The commission later passed a motion to formally ask the Bureau of Professional Standards a series of questions in writing, including the number of officers who have had complaints against them versus those who don't, and the highest number of complaints against any single officer. Davenport said he would try to answer the questions, but would have to consult with the police chief and City Solicitor before responding.