Police in Worcester, MA, use excessive force and engage in “outrageous” sexual contact with women while undercover, a two-year civil investigation released Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice found. “The Department of Justice has reasonable cause to believe that the Worcester Police Department and the City of Worcester engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law,” the Justice Department wrote in its conclusion of a 41-page report it posted online. The report said the “pattern or practice” includes using excessive force and “engaging in outrageous sexual contact with women while undercover as part of official investigations." Investigators said they also have “serious concerns” about “credible reports of sexual assault and other sexual misconduct by WPD officers,” gender bias that “infects WPD’s investigations of sexual assault,” and “law enforcement practices that may have an unlawful discriminatory effect on Black and Hispanic individuals, the Worcester Telegram reports..
The report comes two years after the Justice Department announced it found “significant justification” to investigate whether city police use excessive force or discriminate based on race and gender. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who oversees the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said Monday’s findings were “the first time the department has issued a pattern or practice finding involving sexual misconduct by officers. “We look forward to working with city officials to institute reforms that build on their own preliminary efforts but that will fully bring an end to these unlawful and unconstitutional practices,” she said. “The Justice Department is committed to standing firm against sexual misconduct in all its forms.”
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