City Councilor-at-Large Kathleen Toomey apologized Tuesday for invoking the names of Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier and Sgt. Anthony Petrone during the police response to her Sept. 2 car crash, acknowledging for the first time that her actions created the appearance that she was seeking preferential treatment.
“I was wrong to invoke the names of the chief and Sgt. Petrone,” Toomey said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. “Regardless of my intent, I understand that doing so created the appearance that I was seeking special treatment because of my position and relationships.”
The apology marks Toomey’s second public statement since the crash and directly addresses one of the central questions raised by body-camera footage from the incident—why the longtime councilor asked responding officers to contact Saucier and said she was attempting to reach Petrone.
It also comes as the Worcester Police Department’s Bureau of Professional Standards continues an internal investigation into officers’ handling of the crash, including whether Toomey received preferential treatment and whether officers followed department policies and procedures. Police have said the investigation began the day of the crash.
“As a city councilor, I should have exercised better judgment,” Toomey said in Monday’s statement. “My position does not entitle me to different treatment, and I regret placing the Chief, Sgt. Petrone, and the responding officers in an uncomfortable position that may have raised questions about their professionalism and integrity.”
Officers responded at approximately 12:03 a.m. Sept. 2 after Toomey’s vehicle struck an unoccupied Volkswagen on Harrington Way. No injuries were reported, and both vehicles were towed from the scene.
Body-camera footage released through a public records request shows Toomey remaining in her vehicle while officers investigate the crash. At one point, Toomey asks, “Can you call the chief?” Officers do not respond to the request and continue speaking with her about arranging a ride from the scene.
Later in the footage, Toomey says she is “trying to get a hold of Anthony Petrone.”
Petrone is a Worcester police sergeant. Campaign finance records filed with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance show he has contributed $425 to Toomey’s campaign since 2015, including $225 in 2023 and $150 in October 2025.
Saucier previously told the Worcester Guardian that he had no contact with Toomey during or immediately after the crash and, to his knowledge, neither Petrone nor another WPD supervisor did either.
“I did not have any contact with Councilor Toomey during or immediately after the incident,” Saucier told the Guardian. “To my knowledge, no other supervisors did either; however, this will be formally addressed as part of the investigation.”
Asked whether anyone else from the department was contacted on Toomey’s behalf that night, Saucier said, “Not to my knowledge,” adding that the question is also part of the internal investigation.
Saucier said he personally initiated the review after becoming aware of the crash.
“The review is focused on ensuring that no preferential treatment was provided and that all departmental policies and procedures were properly followed,” Saucier previously told the Guardian.
The department has said impairment was not suspected. No field sobriety test was administered, according to published reports and body-camera footage from the scene. Asked by the Guardian what observations led officers to determine impairment was not suspected, Saucier declined to discuss their assessments while the internal investigation remains underway.
The crash and police response have drawn scrutiny from the Worcester NAACP and Worcester Civilian Review Board Coalition, which raised questions about the absence of field sobriety testing, portions of the body-camera footage that were muted and Toomey’s attempts to contact Saucier and Petrone.
Toomey addressed the impairment question in her first public statement Sept. 15.
“I was not in any way impaired and will face no charges,” she said.
In that statement, Toomey also announced she would temporarily step down from the city council’s Standing Committee on Public Safety and recuse herself from matters involving the Police Department until the internal investigation is complete. Mayor Joseph Petty subsequently designated Councilor-at-Large Morris Bergman to assume the committee responsibilities during Toomey’s absence.
Toomey’s Sept. 15 statement did not explain why she asked officers to contact Saucier or why she was attempting to reach Petrone.
Monday’s statement directly addressed those actions but did not elaborate on what Toomey intended to accomplish by invoking their names.
“I have great respect for the Worcester Police Department and its officers,” Toomey said. “I am truly sorry for the distraction my actions caused and for putting the officers in this position. I hope they, and the people of Worcester, will accept my apology.”
The Bureau of Professional Standards investigation remains ongoing. Saucier previously told the Guardian that such investigations have a 90-day timeline for completion, although most are completed sooner.
Have a story tip, community concern, or insight to share? Email Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org.
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