U.S. Attorney Rollins Visits Worcester NAACP, Talks Police Inquiry

WORCESTER, MA — Amid an ongoing investigation of the Worcester Police Department, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachael Rollins appeared at a Worcester NAACP meeting Monday to field a series of questions — both about the Department of Justice probe and other issues her office is dealing with.

The DOJ and Rollins' office revealed the Worcester police probe in November, with federal prosecutors saying they would focus on a possible pattern of racial and gender-biased policing, among other issues.

Such "pattern or practice" inquiries often take years, and sometimes result in changes to police department policies. Those changes come via a consent decree, which is essentially a settlement that's overseen by a third-party monitor in the federal courts.

Rollins appeared at the Monday monthly NAACP meeting alongside deputies including District of Massachusetts civil prosecutor Amanda Teo, Department of Justice Civil Rights Division trial attorney Nicole Porter and Massachusetts Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Leung.

NAACP Worcester President Fred Taylor kicked off a question-and-answer session with Rollins by asking her about her relationship with Worcester Chief Steven Sargent. Rollins was the keynote speaker at the annual Worcester Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Breakfast in January, and took time to praise Sargent during her remarks. Taylor highlighted that Sargent in 2020 claimed he had never seen racism in the Worcester Police Department — a point of friction between the Black community and the chief.

Rollins, the former Suffolk County District Attorney, was also seen embracing Sargent after her speech. She told the NAACP that she went to shake Sargent's hand, and he hugged her.

"A couple people reached out to me, they were wondering what was up with that," Taylor said about Rollins' praise for Sargent amid an investigation into his department.

Rollins said she's committed to a thorough investigation and won't pull punches. She also said she's had positive interactions with Sargent, and works with him and other members of the department on separate legal matters.

"It does not matter to me who you are, you will be held accountable," Rollins said.

Rollins and other federal prosecutors at the NAACP meeting were careful not to give specific details about the ongoing Worcester police investigation. They described the probe in broad terms, and stressed that any possible criminal findings would be referred to criminal prosecutors to handle. The civil rights division also would never sue for monetary damages.

"We do believe there are some bad policies, potentially, or some concerning behavior that made us reach the threshold" Rollins said of embarking on a full civil rights investigation.

According to the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, it has taken 26 months on average for the DOJ to complete previous "pattern-or-practice" investigations. The DOJ will release a report on the investigation to the public, whether investigators find civil rights violations or not.

Another NAACP member asked whether the DOJ probe would look at a Worcester police union Facebook page that has been part of several controversies since its founding in June 2020. Worcester police sergeants Richard Cipro and Anthony Petrone run the page as part of their leadership of the IBPO Local 504 union and "to inform and educate members and the general public of the dedication and commitment Worcester Police Officials have to the City of Worcester."

Teo said the DOJ is looking at the page, but prosecutors don't have access to material that may have been deleted from it. For example, in 2021, a post that depicted Mayor Joseph Petty with a Hitler mustache was deleted. Teo urged residents with screenshots of any troublesome material from the page to email community.wpd@usdoj.gov.