Worcester chamber CEO leaves bureau’s board over police oversight report timing
Worcester Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Tim Murray resigned from the Worcester Regional Research Bureau board of directors Friday.
The former lieutenant governor and former mayor of Worcester said in a statement Friday that his resignation from the board of directors was related to the timing of a report calling for the creation of a police civilian oversight board released by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau (WRRB) on Oct. 14.
City Manager Eric Batista requested the WRRB to conduct a study on the effectiveness of police oversight boards following the release last year of a scathing report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) .
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.
In their report, the WRRB wrote that having a police oversight board in Worcester was "overdue."
"Civilian oversight does not by itself guarantee changes in problematic practices; however, it ensures that violations of law or residents' rights are brought into the open, creating an essential layer of accountability, transparency, and democratic governance," the report reads.
Murray, however, took issue with WRRB's decision to release the recommendation weeks before the Nov. 4 general election.
"The request by City Manager (Eric) Batista and the City Council for a report on police oversight protocols, including civilian review boards, is an important public policy matter that merits thoughtful deliberation and debate," Murray said. "To issue a report and recommendation three weeks before a competitive municipal election was, in my judgment, a mistake that does a disservice to the important discussion and debate this issue warrants."
Murray also distanced himself from WRRB's decision in his statement, saying the "board of directors of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau does not receive notice about when reports are being issued, nor are we solicited for input on potential research topics."
Members of the city council are divided on creating a civilian oversight board.
Council Vice Chair and Councilor-at-Large Khrystian King has repeatedly called for the creation of such a board.
"I'm looking for a public process," King previously told MassLive. "I'm looking for folks to really get in a room and have an honest dialogue about how to make public safety more effective."
Councilor-at-Large and Chair of the Public Safety Committee Kathleen Toomey, however, previously said she sees no reason for such a board to exist.
"I maintain that the state's POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) program has worked well, in addition to our own BOPS (Bureau of Professional Standards), Diversity Equity and Inclusion Department Human Rights Commission, random body camera audits, policy review committee and accreditation process providing transparency in a number of different ways," Toomey said. "I have not supported a local civilian review board in the past and do not think it is necessary with all that has been enacted over the past few years."
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