The Department of Justice introduced that it’s conducting an investigation into the Worcester Police Department to find out if it has “an overall pattern or practice of conduct” when it comes to extreme drive or discriminatory hiring.
“This is the beginning of the process. We will go where the facts take us,” mentioned Rachael Rollins, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, in a press release.
“You will hear from me at the end of the investigation, irrespective of outcome,” she continued. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure that policing in Worcester is constitutional, safe, and effective all while the civil rights of their residents remain intact.”
The investigation can even look into the division’s “systems of accountability,” which incorporates the way it handles complaints of misconduct and self-discipline, based on the announcement.
The DOJ opened the investigation “based on information provided to the Justice Department,” based on a press release by Assistant Attorney General Kristin Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, however particulars of that info weren’t revealed within the assertion.
This marks the second Massachusetts police division to be investigated beneath provisions and necessities of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a sweeping regulation that throughout 356 pages overhauls a variety of felony justice points and was “the largest crime bill in the history of the country,” based on a DOJ truth sheet.
The earlier 2018 investigation into the Springfield PD was resolved by a consent decree in 2022, based on the DOJ.
“Ensuring that our law enforcement officers act in a constitutional and non-discriminatory manner is among the highest priorities of the U.S. Department of Justice,” Clarke mentioned in her assertion. “Our pattern or practice investigations are a key tool in our efforts to ensure community safety and promote constitutional policing across the country.”
This is a growing story.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”