Worcester Cop Accosted Neighborhood Leader Over Photos: Complaint

WORCESTER, MA — The founder of a Canal District neighborhood group has filed a complaint against a Worcester police officer over an alleged public berating after Sunday's Worcester Red Sox game.

Nathan Sabo began photographing police who were assigned to oversee traffic during games. Sabo, a Water Street resident, said he was walking near the intersection of Green and Gold streets after the game when he heard a police officer call out to him.

"Hey I know you, you're the sniper that keeps taking pictures of us," Sabo wrote in a complaint he sent to Attorney General Maura Healey's office, describing what he said the officer said during the encounter. The officer then yelled "you are a coward" at Sabo several times, he said in an interview Wednesday.

Sabo was shaken and asked for and received the officer's name: Dave Rutherford. Worcester police spokesman Lt. Sean Murtha said the Bureau of Professional Standards is likely investigating the incident as a "rudeness" complaint. Officers are not typically placed on leave during this type of investigation, he said.

"He's somebody that, in my opinion, should not be out in the public," Sabo said.

Sabo also alerted Mayor Joseph Petty, the city manager's office, police Chief Steven Sargent, and six city councilors about the confrontation. He has received responses, including calls from the police Bureau of Professional Standards and At-Large Councilor Kate Toomey.

Even with attention from police and elected officials, Sabo is left wondering if there's a larger problem inside the department.

"How did it get from a discussion at neighborhood meeting to this guy yelling at me?" Sabo said.

Sabo, 42, an alternate member on the Zoning Board of Appeals, founded the Canal District Neighborhood Association earlier this year after the WooSox and city rolled out a parking plan for Polar Park — which Sabo said was created without input from residents.

One of the biggest issues for the group is managing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. According to Sabo, Worcester officer Sean Lovely was assigned to the group as a liaison, and told them the WooSox would have to pay for detail officers to watch traffic. Detail officers are hired to work special shifts outside regular ones, but they retain the same police powers, wear uniforms and drive police cars.

Sabo holds half-season WooSox tickets, and has been attending home games about three times per week, he said. During walks to the stadium, he watches to make sure police are directing traffic. He said he sometimes finds officers sitting in their cars with their windows rolled up, which he perceives as lackadaisical.

Sabo has shared photos of the officers via email with Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson, Lovely and WooSox President Charles Steinberg.

"Crossing Green St to the game was a mess with people and traffic. Here’s the cop who was supposed to be at the crossing in his car with the windows up," Sabo wrote to the group on July 2, including a picture of an officer sitting in a car. "Hopefully he can be identified and removed from any future details given the recent conversation. He did yell at me and roll down the window when he saw me take his pic."

Murtha said it's normal for detail officers to jump in and out of their vehicles, either to take a break, make a phone call or check in with other officers working the detail. Police are paid at higher rates for detail work, sometimes boosting individual police salaries into the six-figure range. Worcester's fourth-highest paid municipal employee in 2020 was Worcester police Sgt. Anthony Petrone, who pulled in $236,372. About $82,000 of that was for detail work, according to city records.

During Sunday's incident, Sabo was wearing a WooSox cap and was in a crowded area, leaving him with an uncomfortable question: How was the officer able to identify him? Had a picture or description of him been shared among officers?

It's possible the officers were aware of Sabo. Murtha said police often talk with each about citizens who take photos of police. That's so officers are aware the person is not a physical threat, Murtha said.

Sabo said he believes Lovely, the neighborhood police liaison, could be involved, and now doesn't feel comfortable with Lovely at neighborhood group meetings. Sabo wants the department to investigate the officer who called him a "coward" — but also find out how he became known enough to be recognized in a crowd.

"My question is, how did it get to officer Rutherford screaming at me that I'm a coward? How did that happen? What happened?" he said.