Worcester Launches Public Resources with DOJ report, Racial Equity Audit Updates

WORCESTER, Mass. - The City of Worcester announced Friday the launch of two public resources to detail its initiatives related to recommendations from the United States Department of Justice's (DOJ) report and the Racial Equity Audit concerning the Worcester Police Department (WPD).

City Manager Eric D. Batista's office, in collaboration with the WPD and the Executive Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, developed these resources to explain to the public the work being done to address recommendations from both the DOJ and Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), which conducted the audit.

The new resources include a timeline of all the initiatives and programs implemented by the WPD related to the findings of the DOJ report and a webpage with detailed updates describing progress related to the 34 recommendations developed by CNA.

"My Administration has emphasized our commitment to transparency as we've worked to address these recommendations," Batista said. "We have shown that commitment through communications to the City Council and the public, and we are now taking a further step with these public resources, which will continue to be actively updated with the latest information and new initiatives. I am proud of the work our departments have accomplished to address the recommendations."

The City of Worcester consistently works to improve both how the WPD runs and the support provided for police officers. For those reasons, and based on community dialogue, the municipality commissioned the racial equity audit of the department.

Since a Summary Report regarding the DOJ findings was submitted to City Council on March 4, 2025, the WPD has continued to take steps to address the findings. Those steps include applying to the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Program, allocating funding for Bureau of Professional Standards (BOPS) internal affairs software that will allow for disaggregation of BOPS reports, and providing color-of-law training to 400 officers that covered topics including use of force, obstruction of justice, and sexual assault.

"Maintaining an open line of communication remains a priority for my Administration," Batista said. "These new webpages will further enhance our ability to keep residents up-to-date, and I look forward to continued collaboration with municipal departments, the Council, and community stakeholders as we implement fair and equitable policies and practices in our community."

Similar resources will be developed related to the audits of the Human Resources and Health & Human Services departments.