WORCESTER — Council Vice Chair Khrystian King is reiterating his call for the city council to act on recommendations to create a civilian police oversight board — this time in response to a new report from the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. a nonpartisan public policy organization based in Worcester.
The nonpartisan public policy organization’s new report, Overdue for Civilian Oversight: A Pathway for Lasting Police Reform, examines models of civilian review boards across the country and offers recommendations for how Worcester could establish one of its own.
King, in a press release Wednesday, said the findings reinforce what he and others have long advocated: that Worcester needs independent civilian oversight to strengthen accountability and trust in law enforcement.
“The WRRB’s report reaffirms what community advocates and residents have been saying for years — that Worcester must take concrete steps toward establishing civilian oversight to promote transparency, accountability and trust in law enforcement,” King said in the statement.
King noted that he has filed multiple orders over the past several years calling for the creation of a civilian review board.
“The time for studies and discussions is over,” he said. “The time for action is now.”
The bureau’s report comes less than a year after a U.S. Department of Justice investigation concluded that the Worcester Police Department engaged in patterns of excessive force and biased policing.
King said he plans to bring a motion before the city council requesting that City Manager Eric Batista and Police Chief Paul Saucier review the WRRB’s recommendations and report back on next steps.
“The people of Worcester deserve a transparent and accountable system that fosters trust between law enforcement and the community,” King said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and city leadership to make this a reality.”
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