Worcester’s city manager is facing blowback from residents and community activists over his resistance to creating a civilian review board to oversee the police department.
In a recent report, City Manager Eric Batista’s administration argued that a civilian review board would be too costly and isn’t necessary because Worcester already has several ways of investigating police misconduct. That argument directly contradicted an independent analysis last October by the nonpartisan Worcester Regional Research Bureau that concluded a review board is “overdue” to ensure police accountability.
The report from Batista’s administration has set off a firestorm of criticism over the way he’s handling concerns about police misconduct.
Drew Schnoebelen and Jacqueline Yang — two members of the Worcester Human Rights Commission — have announced they’re resigning from their posts, with Yang calling Batista’s opposition to the civilian review board “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
And in a joint press release, nearly a dozen community groups argued that the new report from Batista’s administration ignores the findings from a U.S. Department of Justice investigation in 2024 that found Worcester policehave used excessive force, disproportionately targeted Black and Latino people, and committed other “outrageous” misconduct.
“By ignoring the evidence and refusing to recommend a civilian review board, the city manager has effectively said he is willing to shield a small minority of bad cops from accountability,” the groups, including the Worcester NAACP and Worcester Interfaith, wrote in the press release.
Worcester city councilors, including Mayor Joseph Petty, are expected to discuss the new report at a meeting Tuesday night.
Batista’s recommendation against creating a civilian review board is just the latest example of Worcester leaders opposing the oversight body.
In the past, Mayor Joseph Petty and City Councilor Kathleen Toomey have called the review board unnecessary. Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier added earlier this year that he doesn’t think it would be effective, and has said that his department has made reforms to enhance training and hold officers more accountable following the justice department investigation.
Thomas Duffy II — president of the New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911, which represents officers — has even slammed the idea of a civilian review board as a way to effectively “defund” the police.
The recent report from Batista’s administration reiterated that Worcester is committed to ensuring that police officers are held accountable for any wrongdoing.
However, the administration argued the civilian review board isn’t necessary because the city’s implemented other measures to ensure police accountability, including launching an officer body camera program; expanding the police oversight capacity of the Executive Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and enhancing comprehensive anti-harassment training.
The report added that the Human Rights Commission is an independent body that also helps oversee the police department. And it pointed to data showing that the number of excessive use of force complaints against officers has declined in recent years.
“Put simply, the multilayered framework that the municipality has built to strengthen its oversight, transparency, and review mechanisms is working,” Batista wrote in a memo that accompanied the report.
But some residents and activists question the accuracy of the city’s latest use of force data.
They noted that the police department’s internal affairs division, the Bureau of Professional Standards, is responsible for investigating excessive use of force complaints. The U.S. Department of Justice concluded as part of its investigation in 2024 that the bureau failed to rigorously review cases of misconduct and hold officers accountable.
Residents also argued that Batista has repeatedly undermined the Human Rights Commission in recent years, including asking the body to pause its scrutiny of the police department at one point.
In an interview, City Councilor Rob Bilotta said it’s essential that whoever is overseeing the police department is truly independent from it. He has questions whether that exists in Worcester right now.
“That’s why I do think a civilian review board would have been helpful,” Bilotta said. “I don’t view it as something that’s punitive for the police department. I think it’s a way to really make sure that we’re really pushing for the best accountability and transparency we can.”
