Full and original article posted on MassLive.
Members of the Worcester City Council are divided over the idea of a police civilian oversight board.
On Tuesday, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau (WRRB) released a report endorsing the creation of such a board, saying it was “overdue.”
City Manager Eric Batista requested the study from the WRRB following the release of a scathing report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2024. The DOJ’s report singled out Worcester officers for their use of excessive force, their disproportionate targeting of Black and Hispanic people, and for performing unwanted sexual acts with people in undercover operations.