Worcester Candidate's Police Facebook Page Draws New Controversy

WORCESTER, MA — A Facebook page cofounded by Worcester police sergeant and District 1 Council candidate Richard Cipro drew controversy this week after a member posted a picture of a Hitler moustache crudely drawn on a photo of Mayor Joseph Petty.

It's not the first time members in the Worcester Police Officials IBPO Local 504 page have posted borderline material, and now Cipro is taking a step back from moderating the site as he heads toward a November showdown against incumbent District 1 Councilor Sean Rose.

The Monday post defacing Petty was quickly removed from the page, and Cipro — who was the top voter-getter in the Sept. 14 primary — said he sent an apology to the mayor. He also said moderators will now review each post before publishing them in the public group.

"We're sickened that this happened," Cipro told Patch on Tuesday. "We echo the mayor's outrage. Especially for our Jewish community, we extend our deepest apologies because they shouldn't have to be subjected to reminders of a persecuted past."

Cipro and Worcester police Sgt. Anthony Petrone started the page in June 2020, Cipro said, to keep the IBPO's members updated and to "hold accountable those that are against our police profession." The page has 3,200 members, including political and business leaders like state Sens. Dean Tran (R-Fitchburg) and Michael Moore (D-Millbury), and Councilors Candy Mero-Carlson, Donna Colorio and Moe Bergman.

The page has become a blend of right-leaning culture war content, from solemn posts about police officers and soldiers to pro-Trump imagery, blue lives matter memes and criticism of Democrats and left-leaning politicians — including Rose, At-Large Councilor Khrystian King and District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera.

Since the page's inception, Cipro and Petrone have had to remove material that was too inflammatory, Cipro said, although he could not recall specifics about what was removed.

Many group members frequently disparage the Black Lives Matter movement, pro athletes and Antifa, in some cases encouraging violence against them.

"The next time you hear someone say 'defund the police' punch them in the mouth and see if they call 911," one post from 2020 advised.

In July 2020, a group member posted a MassLive story about a planned Black Lives Mural along Major Taylor Boulevard. Several members commented the mural should be defaced.

"What happens when someone does a burn out over it?" member Tim Lorenz commented.

"We cheer!" Kenny Ricard replied.

Weeks later, a person driving a black pickup truck was captured on surveillance video leaving tire marks on the mural, which is still in place in front of the DCU Center. The driver was later cited for traffic violations.

A video clip posted in July 2020 appeared to mock protesters being injured by a fire hose. The clip was set to an upbeat banjo cover of the Jay-Z song "99 Problems."

This week's post referencing Hitler was created by a Facebook user with the name Pat Falcone, whose LinkedIn profile indicates they work as a dispatcher in Worcester.

Falcone has added offensive memes to the page many times. In September 2020, the account posted an image of the Dallas Cowboys kneeling before a game with the phrase, "I haven't seen this many cowboys on their knees since Brokeback Mountain."

Also in September 2020, Falcone posted an image of a man dressed in camouflage carrying a rifle with the phrase, "If the bulls--t doesn't come to a halt you will see 83 million gun owners walk out of their homes like this" — likely a reference to protests that erupted after the murder of George Floyd.

A spokesman for City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. on Tuesday confirmed there's an internal investigation into the post disparaging Petty, but could not provide specifics, including the name of the person under investigation. Cipro said he's cooperating with the inquiry.

In a statement on Monday, Rose called out the IBPO Facebook page as a source of discord in local politics.

"For too long, the Worcester Police Union Facebook page has been very divisive and extremely insensitive to a number of people in our community under president Cipro's leadership. Enough is enough," Rose said.

With new moderation practices in place, Cipro said he'll remove himself as one of the moderators of the page. The controversy may still follow him, he said, because he'll remain president of the IBPO union, which represents ranked members in the department.

"Of course it's going to become political because I'm involved in a campaign," he said. "I just wish that it wouldn't be politicized. But that's what happens."