City Officials Silent on Media Stonewalling by Worcester Police

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

After hearing a report of 43 unanswered calls in the course of a month by the Worcester Police Department, city officials are taking a vow of silence, not commenting on the matter at hand.

When asked to respond to the initial report and the lack of police accountability and transparency in the city, both City Manager Ed Augustus and Mayor Joseph Petty acknowledged the situation but chose not to comment.

“The police have an obligation to communicate with the public,” said Dan Kennedy, an Associate Professor at Northeastern University's School of Journalism and media blogger at Media Nation. “One of the most important ways they communicate with the public is through the news media, which not only offer an outlet for their message but which also can provide the kind of independent scrutiny that we need. The police wield great power, and that power has to be held accountable. Perhaps this analogy is a bit forced, but we can see from Ferguson, Missouri, what happens when the police are not as open and transparent about their actions as the public deserves.”

Additionally, calls were placed to the Worcester Police Department for comment but voicemails were not returned.

Bad Form

According to Worcester City Councilor Michael T. Gaffney, the Worcester police should really be focused on increasing their cooperation and communication with both news outlets and the city.

Gaffney says that police accountability and transparency to the city in which they serve is paramount; at the end of the day the police are there not only to enforce laws but also to serve the public. While Gaffney isn’t sure if there is an actual problem with police accountability and transparency in the city, he believes that the local police aren’t doing themselves a service by shutting out news organizations and the public.

Police Chief Gemme and the rest of the WPD has been dodging media requests from over a month

“Police are supposed to be accountable to the public that they serve; they should really be more cooperative,” said Gaffney. “I find the lack of communication vexing as a city councilor, something I’m sure media outlets and the public feel the same way about. City councilors don’t have media departments and the resources that the police department has and we are still expected to respond to the public and to the media. This is certainly bad form.”

Rights of the Taxpayers

Many citizens are upset about the lack of police transparency and accountability of the Worcester Police Department because as taxpayers - who pay the police their salaries - the public has the right to know what is going on during a given situation involving the police, barring any information that could compromise an investigation.

Because the Worcester Police Department is a public agency, Steve “Q” Quist - a lifelong Worcester resident and activist - believes that the police department should be much more cooperative with local media. This increased partnership and dialogue is something that would ultimately serve the citizens of Worcester, allowing them increased and relevant information about various happenings throughout the city.

“You have two people whose job it is to deal with media but they feel that press releases and Twitter posts are a sufficient way to keep the public informed,” said Quist. “This is not an open and fair process; it’s not how our government is supposed to operate. I think that public safety is in danger when you have a selective police department.”

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