Days after the Worcester Regional Research Bureau recommended civilian oversight of the city’s police department to strengthen accountability and rebuild public trust, Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty expressed skepticism of the idea.
Petty made the comments during a Worcester mayoral debate hosted by GBH News on Thursday evening. Petty’s challengers, City Council Vice Chair Khrystian King and local business owner Owura Sarkodieh, both said they support creating a civilian oversight board to monitor police operations.
Petty, who is currently serving his seventh term as mayor of New England’s second largest city, said while he has asked for the council to discuss the recommendation at their next meeting, he has questions about how effective a civilian oversight body might be.
“In the past I’ve voted against this because it undermines the chief of police and what he wants to do here in the city of Worcester,” said Petty, responding to a question from moderator Sam Turken, Worcester Bureau reporter for GBH News.
“Our chief right now is doing a great job,” Petty added. The mayor pointed to several existing offices that help oversee Worcester police, like the Bureau of Professional Standards within the police department, the city’s Executive Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the state POST Commission. Petty noted that Police Chief Paul Saucier has regular meetings with Worcester’s Human Rights Commission.
“He’s also developing a civilian board that will work with him at the police station and talk about issues,” Petty said of the police chief.
Petty said he’s still planning to thoroughly read the Worcester Regional Research Bureau’s report.
“I owe that to the people to make sure everybody gets a fair hearing and see what we’re gonna do, he said.
Sarkodieh said he agrees with the research bureau’s conclusion to establish a civilian review board with the power to subpoena individuals as part of its investigations into police affairs.
“I would also favor, like, independent investigation[s] into police use of force, and I’m also for open transparency on all arrests,” he said, adding a vow to ensure that contract negotiations with officers don’t block police accountability measures.
King, who ran for mayor in 2023 and finished second behind Petty, said he also supports a civilian review board with subpoena powers and emphasized that the public debate over whether or not to have one is decades old. King criticized Petty’s administration for “a lack of follow through” on the number of their recommendations from Worcester Human Rights Commission and said a civilian review board would enhance public safety and improve public trust.
“It’s important to note this is a third independent entity that has determined that it would be in the best interest of the city to have a civilian review board,” King said, pointing to prior recommendations from both a city equity audit and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Policing in Worcester has been under intense scrutiny following a DOJ investigation that concluded late last year that the city police department uses excessive force. Federal investigators also determined that the police department has allowed certain officers to engage in “outrageous government conduct” and “violate the constitutional rights of women suspected of being involved in the commercial sex trade by engaging in sexual contact while undercover as part of official investigations.”
After the debate, Petty expressed confidence that Chief Saucier will work to address all the recommendations contained with the DOJ report.
“I asked the [city] manager and the chief to come in with a report on how they’re gonna address those nineteen recommendations,” Petty said, adding that Saucier “has already addressed most of them.”
Neither King nor Sarkodieh seemed surprised about the mayor’s stance.
“I think it was expected that Joe Petty would not support that,” Sarkodieh told GBH News following the hour-long debate. “Those who feel like they don’t have a voice, those are the ones who are requesting or advocating for civilian review boards. Those who already have the voice and are in control, those are the ones who are against it.”
“For ten years, Joe Petty has opposed civilian review boards,” King added. “For more than ten years, every candidate of color and elected official of color up to this year has advocated for a civilian review board.“
The debate, the first of the 2025 mayoral race, also featured discussion about Worcester’s affordable housing shortage and how it plans to grapple with federal funding cuts, among other issues.
The debate comes a little more than a month after the city’s preliminary election results showed the incumbent mayor ahead of his opponents by more than 1,000 votes. Only 10% of Worcester’s 114,837 registered voters cast ballots in the Sept. 2 preliminary election. Petty topped the at-large council race with 6,004 votes. King and Sarkodieh finished with 4,610 and 2,736, respectively.
Early voting runs from Oct. 25-31 in Worcester. On Nov. 4, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit the city’s website.
