See the Neighborhood Meetings This Week in Worcester

WORCESTER – The Worcester Police Department is encouraging residents to attend their neighborhood watch meetings to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in their neighborhoods and to share any concerns or questions they may have. Representatives from the city also regularly attend these neighborhood meetings.

There are over 50 Neighborhood Watch Groups in Worcester. Meetings are held regularly — often once a month in various locations in the city.

Contact the Worcester Police Department’s Neighborhood Response Team at (508) 799-8664 for more information.

Here are the neighborhood meetings this week in Worcester.

Monday, Nov. 3

• Green Island Neighborhood Meeting, WRTA Maintenance & Operations Facility, 42 Quinsigamond Ave. – 6 PM

Wednesday, Nov. 5

• Seabury Heights Apartments Neighborhood Meeting, Seabury Heights Apartments, 240 Belmont St. – 4 PM

Thursday. Nov. 6

• Lincoln Village Neighborhood Meeting, Victoria Building, 116 Country Club Blvd. – 4 PM
• Webster Square Neighborhood Meeting, Our Lady of Angels Church, 1222 Main St. – 7 PM

Monday, Nov. 10

• Tatnuck Square Neighborhood Meeting, First Congregational Church, 1070 Pleasant St. – 6 PM

Wednesday, Nov. 12

• Saxon Road Neighborhood Meeting, Congregation Beth Israel, 15 Jamesbury Dr. – 6:30 PM
• Newton Square Neighborhood Meeting, First Congregational Church, 1070 Pleasant St. – 7:30 PM

Thursday, Nov. 13

• Main South Beacon Brightly Neighborhood Meeting, Y.M.C.A., 766 Main St. – 5:30 PM
• Burncoat/Greendale Neighborhood Meeting, St. Michaels On-The-Heights, 340 Burncoat St. – 6 PM
• South Lenox Street Neighborhood Meeting, First Congregational Church, 1070 Pleasant St. – 6 PM

Wednesday, Nov. 19

• Indian Lake Neighborhood Meeting, Worcester Business Center, 67 Millbrook St. – 6 PM
• Brown Square Neighborhood Meeting, 639 Franklin St. – 7 PM

Thursday. Nov. 20

• Mill St Area Neighborhood Meeting, Stearns Tavern, 72 Coes St. – 6 PM

Records Show New Details of Monfredo Sex Crimes Investigation

WARNING: This report includes references to the sexual abuse of a child. While graphic details of that abuse are not included, reader discretion is advised. 

WORCESTER – A recent release of 23 pages of documents by the Worcester Police Department sheds new light on the allegations made by Heather Prunier, of Worcester, that she endured sexual abuse by former Worcester School Committee member and former Belmont Street Community School Principal John Monfredo from 1991 to 1994, when she was between nine and 12 years old.

The 23 pages include four elements not made public in the nearly 30 years since the investigation occurred:

• Police interviewed witnesses related to Prunier’s allegations as early as January 1996. Previously published information indicated that the investigation occurred between January and April 1997.
• Weeks after Worcester Public Schools placed Monfredo on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, a detective investigating the allegations documented in official records their assessment that the crime being investigated was indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old. Had the determined determined that no crime occurred, the record would likely show that.
• A Worcester Police officer indicates in a police report that the Department of Social Services (DSS) (now the Department of Children and Families [DCF]) supported a 51-A report report of child abuse related to the allegations against Monfredo. The term “supported” used by DSS is synonymous with substantiated, meaning the agency found reasonable cause to believe the abuse occurred.
  • Such a finding typically designates the subject “unsuitable to work with children” and prohibits that individual from working in a school. It is unclear whether the agency later overturned this finding.
• A Worcester Police detective interviewed Prunier about her allegations on Sept. 1, 1998, at the Worcester County District Attorney’s office while a Massachusetts assistant attorney general observed. This occurred nearly 18 months after Monfredo returned from administrative leave to work at Belmont Street Community School in April 1997. According to the report, the assistant attorney general advocated for the interview to be videotaped, but a “previous agreement” made between a Worcester County assistant district attorney and the WPD prevented recording the interview. 

As This Week in Worcester previously reported, John Conte, then the Worcester County District Attorney, and a long-time friend of Monfredo, declined to prosecute.

In 2023, in an article by Bill Shaner at Worcester Sucks and I Love It, Heather Prunier publicly acknowledged for the first time that she is the woman who reported sexual abuse by Monfredo to police on the last day of 1996, when she was 15 years old.

Monfredo coached the softball team Prunier played with when she says the abuse took place. Monfredo has publicly said that “he was never alone” with Prunier during the time she alleges the abuse took place.

Prunier submitted a request for records related to the case to the Worcester Police Department (WPD), which released the 23 pages of documents on Oct. 24. Prunier made the full release of documents available to This Week in Worcester.

Reports Began in 1995

Prunier sat for an interview with police on Dec. 31, 1996, when she was 15 years old. Later that night, she attempted suicide.

A formal investigation began in January 1997. Worcester Public Schools (WPS) placed Monfredo on leave pending the results of the investigation. He returned to his position as principal of Belmont Street Community School in April 1997.

The newly released documents show that staff at Forest-Grove Junior High School became concerned in 1995, based on Heather’s behavior and conversations with her.

One police report released shows that in a statement to police in January 1996, one teacher said that Heather “had been a very bubbly student,” but that in May 1995, he noticed Heather appeared unhappy over multiple days. He twice inquired about her demeanor, but both times Heather said everything was fine. The second time, she asked if she could talk to the teacher after school.

During that after-school session, Heather started crying. She asked the teacher if he would keep what she told him a secret.

The teacher told police he explained that some things he’s not allowed to keep secret when related to actions like theft, drugs, assault, and sexual harassment. When asked if one of those subjects related to what she wanted to talk about, Heather replied yes. She provided no additional information.

The teacher encouraged her to tell her parents, regardless of what bothered her.

The following day, Heather approached the same teacher during class and told him she’s ready to talk now. When he stepped outside the classroom with her, Heather asked, “What is sexual harassment?” The teacher says he gave some examples, then asked if what bothered her ranged “from the lowest level, verbal, to the highest of forced physical, what is somewhere in between there?

After Heather told the teacher that it did, he walked with her to the office of the vice principal.

The documents also show police questioned the vice principal in January 1997 about her interaction with Heather.

She described to the police that she had a long conversation with Heather that day. Heather eventually revealed her softball coach had abused her upon her arrival at practice. The abuse began with hugging and kissing on the face and over time proceeded to touching and beyond.

The police report says that the vice principal told police she didn’t remember that Heather provided any additional identifying information about the abuser, except that he was her softball coach.

“Found As” Ind A+B >14

One document released to Prunier shows the detective investigating the allegations against Monfredo documented that the allegations were “found as” indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years old. The report indicates the allegations were “reported as” the same crime.

“Found as” is not a judicial finding, but expresses the investigator’s assessment of the crime being investigated at the time of creating the report. This field can list another crime, if the investigator determined the original report was in error, or list that a finding of “none.”

This language appears at the top of a report on the questioning of the lead custodian at Belmont Street Schoo, where Prunier said the abuse took place. An image of this portion of the document can be found at the bottom of this page.

Establishing Opportunity

Monfredo’s only public comments about the allegations against him were his claim he was “never alone with that girl.”

Police reports indicate that Monfredo held softball practices inside the gymnasium at Belmont Street School on Saturdays over the winter, during school vacations, or at other times when weather prohibited practicing outdoors.

Prunier told the police that she often arrived at practice late, after all her other teammates. When Monfredo held practice at Belmont Street School, girls knocked on a door for access to the building. Prunier told police that Monfredo often responded to allow her into the building.

The most serious abuse occurred below a small stairwell near the entrance in an area that prevented others then in the building from seeing what occurred, according to Prunier. She told police that these encounters, which sometimes included violence, lasted only a few minutes each.

A police report shows that on Jan. 28, 1997, an officer interviewed the senior custodian at Belmont Street School. The custodian told investigators that protocol required a custodian on duty if more than 30 people were present. Monfredo’s softball practices numbered under 20.

Caffone also told police that although only the gymnasium and adjacent bathrooms were open to the team, Monfredo had keys to the entire building.

Both Robert and Gretched Prunier, Heather’s parents, told police they recalled times when Monfredo gave Heather a ride home from softball practice and arrived alone in his car with her.

Both parents also said that Monfredo had called their home at least twice, saying he’d be happy to come pick up Heather to go swimming with his daughter. Heather declined.

They both also said that Monfredo had told them separately on multiple occasions how he wished his daughter were more like Heather.

After the WPD investigation, the department forwarded the case to Worcester County District Attorney John Conte’s office. Conte declined to pursue charges against his longtime friend.

Mass. Law Enables Survivor Access to Rape, Sexual Assault Records

Mass. Gen. Laws Chapter 41 § 97D, which governs access to the documents Prunier seeks, says that “reports of rape and sexual assault or attempts to commit such offenses, all reports of abuse perpetrated by family or household members” and “all communications between police officers and victims of such offenses or abuse shall not be public reports and shall be maintained by the police departments in a manner that shall assure their confidentiality.”

The same section provides an exemption for survivors of those reported crimes, saying that, “all such reports shall be accessible at all reasonable times, upon written request, to: (i) the victim, the victim’s attorney, others specifically authorized by the victim to obtain such information, prosecutors,” and select few others.

The WPD provided no rationale for the documents it released or those it withheld.

Old Grumbly Fan’s Week 9 Patriots Preview vs. the Falcons

In Week Eight, my prediction was half right! The Pats showed a new level versus the defensive power of the Browns. The game was close for a quarter, but the Patriots were never in any real danger of losing the game outside of the play of the Browns’ Myles Garrett.

Vrabel has the team operating on all cylinders. With Garrett holding the Pats to back to back second quarter field goals through timely sacks, his coaching staff made several key adjustments, and the Pats ran away in the 3rd quarter with three unanswered touchdowns. The team identity is forming. This team learns, takes punches and then hits back. Tough, hard to play against and explosive. You couldn’t ask for a better first 8 games. Now the season gets good.

Drake Maye continues his rise into the upper echelon of NFL QBs after he overcame a terrific game from Garrett (5 sacks, and 7 pressures). If Cleveland had any semblance of a balanced team, this would have wrecked the Patriots’ day. Maye took the hits and kept on going. He overcame an ugly pick, where he clearly misread the play (he admitted this at the podium), and bounced back with his continued elite downfield play.

Maye has 7 consecutive games with 200 yards and a 100 QB rating, tying Patrick Mahomes for the youngest player ever to do it. In all the previously recorded seasons where a QB has had a streak of 7 games in a row like this, the player won the NFL MVP. It is very early, but Maye clearly has made a leap from his rookie season.

Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels had his best game in this comeback. In the third quarter, his balanced play calling, both run/pass and left/right/middle, took the Patriots on three straight touchdown drives. Everyone was involved, and the team thrived with 7 players catching passes, and 5 running the ball, including Maye with another 50 on the ground.

The defense had a strong game after the first drive. In 8 consecutive possessions, the Browns had 4 punts, 2 interceptions, a missed field goal, and a turnover on downs. The only thing it looks like they need is another pass rusher. The d now has the 2nd best rush yards per game average in the league with 76.0 and the fourth- best scoring defense with 18.3. Looking good, and with some real anemic offenses coming up this squad could finish high in the rankings.

Stefon Diggs only had 3 catches for 14 yards, but one was his first Pats touchdown, and he clearly is the leader of the wide receiver group. Kayshon Boutte continues his growth as a downfield threat.

Old Grumbly Fan Predictions

6-2 on the year, and the team is rolling. This week the Patriots welcome in the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have had an uneven 3-4 season, with second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. missing the last game because of injury. He has two great weapons in Bijon Robinson, one of the leading running backs in football, and Drake London at wideout, although he has missed some time because of injury.

Atlanta plays hot and cold with wins against the Bills and the Vikings, but then two complete losses in a row to Miami and San Francisco the last two weeks.

The Patriots are rolling, and the Falcons defense has struggled recently. I think the Patriots keep upright at home.

Patriots 37 – Atlanta 17

American Flatbread Launches Free Offer for SNAP Recipients on Nov. 1

WORCESTER – American Flatbread, located at 85 Green Street, responded to the federal government shutdown and the suspension of SNAP funding by creating a free offer for anyone with an EBT card.

Starting on Nov. 1, any SNAP recipient can present their EBT card at American Flatbread and receive one free small medicine wheel pizza. The company says the offer will extend throughout the duration of the government shutdown.

The offer applies to in-person and phone orders, but not to orders placed through delivery apps. The restaurant limits the offer to one pizza per party per day and is subject to availability.

The offer also extends to its Brighton and Rockport, Maine, locations.

The Medicine Wheel pizza is American Flatbread’s take on a classic cheese pizza. It includes homemade organic tomato sauce, premium whole milk mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, and organic herbs.

Founded in 1985 in Waitsfield, Vermont, American Flatbread now has 11 locations, including four in Massachusetts. Each location cooks its pizzas in what it calls a “primitive wood-fired earthen oven.”

City of Worcester Announces Fund to Supplement Federal SNAP Cuts

WORCESTER – The City of Worcester announced the United Response Fund at a press conference at City Hall on Thursday, Oct. 30. The fund seeks to supplement federal funding suspensions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and federal funding and cuts to home heating assistance passed by Congress this year.

City Manager Eric Batista announced that the United Way of Central Massachusetts will manage a food and nutrition program of $1 million, which includes contributions of $250,000 from the city, $250,000 from the United Way of Central Massachusetts, and contributions from private donors. The program will supplement the suspension of SNAP fund distribution by the federal government.

Batista also announced that the Worcester Community Action Council will manage a $1.1 million fund to supplement the loss of federal funds for home heating assistance.

Batista said 80,000 central Massachusetts residents receive SNAP benefits, including 55,000 in Worcester. Worcester Public Schools (WPS) Superintendent Brian Allen said that 73 percent of WPS families are low income.

Congressman Jim McGovern, Mayor Joe Petty, President and CEO of the United Way of Central Massachusetts Tim Garvin, and CEO of the Worcester County Food Bank Jean McMurray also spoke at City Hall on Thursday. See all remarks, below.

The Massachusetts Healthy Inventive Plan (HIP) will still go into effect in January, which provides funds for healthy food choices at certain vendors if a SNAP recipient has even one cent remaining on their EBT card. Learn more here.

Local food access resources are available at foodhelpworcester.org.

The United Way of Central Massachusetts accepts donations to the United Response Fund.

Updates on SNAP funding can be found at the state’s website.

700 UMass Resident Physicians Win New Contract

WORCESTER – Resident physicians reached a tentative agreement with UMass Chan Medical School on a new collective bargaining agreement after five months of negotiations.

The main features of the new agreement:

• Overall compensation increase of 9.5%;
• $5,000 annually for mental health services;
• A $500 educational allowance increase;
• A one-time licensure exam reimbursement;
• Full reinstatement of the Health Benefits Fund, including co-pay reimbursement.

Union members will vote during the first week of November on ratification of the agreement.

On September 30, the Worcester City Council unanimously passed a resolution brought by Councilor Khrystian King supporting the resident physicians.

The Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR-SEIU) represents the 700 unionized physicians which provide patient care across central Massachusetts in the UMass Memorial Health System.

Worcester Police Officers Cynical on Union Using Non-Union Vendor

WORCESTER – The New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA) launched a new website. According to their press release, they chose Fuse Systems LLC, a non-union, New York-based technology solutions company.

The NEPBA Local 911 represents patrol officers of the Worcester Police Department.

From a press release of the NEPBA:

“Developed in partnership with New York-based Fuse Systems, the redesigned platform delivers a modern, intuitive, and dynamic online experience that reflects NEPBA’s continued evolution as the leading voice for law enforcement professionals across New England. The site is designed with union presidents and members in mind, offering seamless navigation, mobile accessibility, and instant access to critical resources, contracts, and organizational updates.”

‍“This launch represents more than a digital upgrade, it marks the beginning of a new chapter for NEPBA,” said David Ginisi, Director of External Relations. “As we celebrate our 20th year, we are embracing innovation while staying true to our mission: providing strong, effective representation for those who serve and protect. The new website embodies who we are, strong, unified, and forward-looking.”

The collective bargaining agreement between Local NEPBA 911 and the City of Worcester expired on June 30. State law prohibits labor unions representing public employees from launching labor strikes. Officers work under the terms of the previous contract until the city and the union reach a new agreement.

This Week in Worcester spoke with four active-duty officers about the union’s decision to hire a non-union and non-local vendor to produce the new website.

One officer said: “If they catch me talking to you during election week, I am going to be s**tcanned.”

Other comments by NEPBA members include:

• “Typical.”
• “They only care about us when one of us dies, or if they want to look good on TV.”
• “None of those people are real cops anyway.”
• “Twenty bucks says one of them is related to somebody.”

The cynical tone of the officers who responded to This Week in Worcester’s inquiries are consistent with previous responses from some officers on the union’s response to the Department of Justice pattern or practice investigation report and the recent Worcester Regional Research Bureau’s report recommending a civilian review board as an oversight mechanism for the Worcester Police Department.

See the full text of the NEPBA press release.

Fuse Systems LLC lists various law enforcement clients around the country, with a concentration in the state of New York.

This Week in Worcester contacted David Ginisi, Director of External Relations of the NEPBA by email, but received no response at the time of publishing. This page will be updated if a response is received.

Old Grumbly Fan’s Week 8 Patriots Preview vs. the Browns

In Week Seven, my prediction was spot on! The Pats rolled over the Titans, in the Mike Vrabel revenge game, and moved to 5-2 on the season.

Vrabel had a sweet return to Tennessee, and the game ended with the crowd chanting for him. The decision to fire Vrabel by Tennessee continues to confound, while that franchise struggles. The Pats got off to a slow start on defense and offense, which could come back to haunt them against superior competition. This is still a young team, and maybe the third road game in a row, coupled with the emotion of Vrabel’s revenge, kept them from being efficient early.

Drake Maye was far and away the best player on the field for both teams. He set a Patriots record for completion percentage, going 21 for 23, threw for 2 scores and ran for 62 yards on the ground. He took 4 sacks, and 2 of them were in bad spots. On back-to-back plays from the 12-yard line on the first drive of the game led to the Pats settling for field goals.

Maye continues to shine, and is clearly making the other players around him better. On the positive side, the o-line looks good, 3 of the 4 sacks were really Maye’s fault, so the young linemen continue to get better.

Sometimes he takes off a little too soon. It is his second year, so this could be a part of normal development, but other running quarterbacks and their injuries should give Patriot’s coaches pause as the years go on.

Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels heard my criticism of the running game and came out with a heavier plan for establishing Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson had 88 yards on 16 carries, by far his best game on the ground this year. Maye was the second leading rusher, and the rest of the backups continued to run play directly into tacklers. Even Stevenson had a couple of into the middle pile runs that seemed to have no visible value to a functional running game.

The defense had a poor 1st quarter, with Cam Ward slashing the Titans to two scoring drives. The Titans scored on three of their first four drives, and then shut down the rest of the day. Veteran free agent LB K’Lavon Chaisson had his best day as a Patriot, with two sacks and a fumble recovery touchdown earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Stefon Diggs had another good game with 7 catches for 69 yards. His 22 first downs on the year lead the Patriots. He continues to be clutch for the fast-growing Maye.

Old Grumbly Fan Predictions

5-2 so far on the straight-up win line. The Browns have one of the best defenses in all of football, anchored by the great Miles Garrett, who could be the toughest test that Will Campbell has all year. He can be a one-man game wrecker.

The Pats return home, where they have suffered both of this season’s losses, after three weeks on the road. While Cleveland can be a pest, I expect the momentum to continue with the Browns just not having enough offense to complement the defense.

Pats 17 – Browns 10

Former Mayor Tim Murray Resigns from WRRB Board After CRB Report

WORCESTER – Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Tim Murray has resigned from the Worcester Regional Research Bureau’s (WRRB) Board of Directors in response to its report released on Oct. 14, “Overdue for Civilian Oversight.”

Worcester City Manager Eric Batista requested the WRRB produce the report, which covers civilian review boards as an oversight mechanism for police departments, and the need for such a board in Worcester to provide oversight of the Worcester Police Department.

Multiple sources confirmed Murray’s resignation related directly to the WRRB report on Thursday, Oct. 23.

This Week in Worcester sent multiple questions to Murray on Thursday. Those questions included asking if his objections were political or factual objections to the content of the report.

Murray did not response to those inquiries.

Multiple sources also confirmed that Murray has discussed pressuring financial supporters of the WRRB for reasons that are unclear, It is unclear if those efforts have been enacted.

The WRRB 2024 annual report lists 12 foundations and over 80 other organizations as financial supporters.

In a statement released Friday, 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’s statement does not explain his views on how the WRRB holding the report for weeks, until after the election, would not be a political decision.

Murray also says that the WRRB board of directors “does not receive notice about when reports are being issued, nor are we solicited for input on potential research topics.”

Many of the board members have interest in businesses affected by public policy.

During his time in city government, Murray opposed additional police oversight. The independent expenditure PAC he helped launch in 2023, Progress Worcester, only spent funds supporting candidates that oppose a civilian review board in Worcester.

In 1999, while Murray served as a city councilor, the Human Rights Commission conducted a series of listening sessions with residents. The WRRB report says that the commission reported many residents said they felt resident complaints made directly to the police department were not taken seriously. Some residents also called for a form of civilian review.

Murray was unmoved.

The U.S. Department of Justice pattern and practice investigation report, released in December 2024, included criticism that the Worcester Police Department Bureau of Professional Standards, the internal investigation unit of the department, failed to conduct meaningful investigations.

WRRB Executive Director Paul Matthews declined to comment when reached by This Week in Worcester. The WRRB said it will release a statement on Friday. This report will be updated at that time.

Although Murray left his last government position over a decade ago and now leads a special interest group that advocates for business interests, including lowering the commercial tax rate by raising the residential tax rate, he continues to exert influence over city government.

Murray’s Influence in Worcester Government

Murray served as a Worcester City Councilor from 1998 to 2007, and concurrently as Mayor of Worcester from 2002 to 2007.

In Worcester, the mayor serves as chair of the city council and school committee while fulfilling the ceremonial duties of a traditional manager. The city manager, who the city council appoints, serves as the chief executive of the administrative branch of city government.

Murray later served as Lt. governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2013, during the administration of Governor Deval Patrick. He resigned as Lt. governor to take the top position at the local Chamber of Commerce in 2013.

Murray is a member of the city manager’s Economic Development Coordinating Committee (EDCC), which includes City Manager Batista, Mayor Joe Petty, Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC) President Craig Blais, who served within former City Manager Mike O’Brien’s administration, and others.

Despite Murray’s position being an advocate for the interests of the Chamber’s business members, this exclusive meeting with the highest-ranking city officials makes no reports of its proceedings public or available to the city council.

In 2014, the Worcester City Council searched for the city’s next city manager after the resignation of Mike O’Brien from the position. The city hired Ed Augustus for nine months as an interim manager, but said he would not accept the position long-term. Augustus also signed a document acknowledging he would not be selected for the long-term role.

Despite three finalists being selected for the position, Joe Petty, then a city councilor at-large, raised a motion to appoint Augustus and offer him a long-term contract.

Multiple sources, both former and current city officials, and including one member of the committee which conducted the search in 2014, told This Week in Worcester that it was Murray who negotiated with Augustus to take the position and pressured Petty to make the motion after another councilor on the committee refused.

At that time, Murray was in his current position as the CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, a special interest group.

“Overdue for Civilian Oversight” by the WRRB

A broad range of individuals within Worcester and across central Massachusetts respect the WRRB for its policy research and reports. During City Manager Batista’s State of the City Address in May, he said:

“Thank you to the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, Executive Director Paul Matthews, and the entire board and staff, for partnering with us again. Your non-partisan research and data analysis has proven critical in breaking down the issues affecting greater Worcester – including your highly expected report on Civilian Review Boards.”

The WRRB, founded in 1985, is a non-profit organization that conducts independent, non-partisan research and analysis of public policy issues. It says its goals are to promote good governance and informed decision making. Its research reports aim to reach both citizens of the region and public officials.

The WRRB report directly recommends the city establish a civilian review board as a means of oversight of the Worcester Police Department. The researchers noted Worcester is the 114th largest city in the United States. More than half of the 200 largest American cities have a civilian review board or comparable oversight structure.

The report also covers the range of different models of civilian review boards used by cities across the country and provides 14 “minimum features of effective oversight.”

One section of the WRRB report surveys attempts by residents, community organizations, and efforts of individual city councilors to push for a civilian review board in Worcester for over 50 years. This includes efforts in 1998 and 1999, when Murray served as a Worcester City Councilor.

Both attempts proved unsuccessful in establishing police oversight. Murray opposed both efforts. The city has paid millions in taxpayer funds to those affected by civil and constitutional rights violations since Murray’s tenure.

DOJ Report

City Manager Batista requested the WRRB report on civilian review boards after the release of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) pattern and practice report in December 2024.

The DOJ investigation reviewed police reports and other documentation within the police department. It also interviewed “many current and former officers, City employees, and WPD officials, including Bureau of Investigative Services captains and Vice Unit supervisors.” Investigators also interviewed “nearly 150 citizens and local organizations.”

The DOJ report highlighted several cases of shocking behavior within the Worcester Police Department, which the DOJ said it had reasonable cause to believe. Those findings include the unlawful use of force using tasers, head strikes, escalation, and police dogs.

The investigation also found alleged sexual assault by officers against commercial sex workers and that officers engaged in sexual contact while undercover.

The DOJ also said that the department has inadequate supervision, which contributes to unreasonable force. The Bureau of Professional Standards (BOPS), the internal investigation team inside the police department, received criticism for not conducting meaningful investigations.

City of Worcester Receives Legal Demand for Records on Sex Crime Investigation

WORCESTER – Legal representation for a Worcester woman who says she endured sexual abuse between the ages of nine and 12 years old by former Worcester school principal and school committee member John Monfredo, has sent a letter to the city of Worcester demanding it comply with state law and provide records she requested.

Heather Prunier, of Worcester, seeks records from the city related to the investigation of sexual abuse she reported in December 1996. The Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard Law School represents Prunier in matters related to the records she seeks.

On Oct. 17, a video released at standwithheather.com featured Prunier asking Worcester voters to reject candidates who protected the man she alleges sexually assaulted her from 1991 to 1994.

Worcester May Face Yet Another Records Lawsuit

Prunier’s legal representation sent a letter to the city last week demanding it comply with Massachusetts law and provide her with the records she’s entitled to. A lawsuit often follows a demand letter if the recipient does not comply.

Previous cases the city faced related to the state’s public records laws, including two cases initiated by the Telegram and Gazette, which ended in rulings against the city. Both cases involved records related to police misconduct.

The most recent case filed by the Telegram concluded in 2022. In deciding the case, the judge wrote that the city “acted in bad faith” in its arguments justifying its denying access to the records sought by the Telegram. The city became the first municipality in Massachusetts assessed punitive damages in a public records case since the law went into effect in 2017.

Chapter 41 § 97D, of Massachusetts law, not the public records law, governs access to the documents Prunier seeks. That section says that “reports of rape and sexual assault or attempts to commit such offenses, all reports of abuse perpetrated by family or household members,” and “all communications between police officers and victims of such offenses or abuse shall not be public reports and shall be maintained by the police departments in a manner that shall assure their confidentiality.”

The same section provides an exemption for survivors of those reported crimes, saying that, “all such reports shall be accessible at all reasonable times, upon written request, to: (i) the victim, the victim’s attorney, others specifically authorized by the victim to obtain such information, prosecutors,” and select few others.

Another survivor of a child sex crime who is now an adult told This Week in Worcester that a Middlesex County municipality released the records related to her case, in full with few redactions, within 10 business days earlier this year. 

The City of Worcester Law Department received the records from the Worcester Police Department in August.

A spokesperson for City Manager Eric Batista’s office said, “I’m told the records will be provided shortly.”

Discussions with the Worcester Police Department

In 2023, in an article by Bill Shaner at Worcester Sucks and I Love It, Prunier publicly acknowledged for the first time that she is the woman who reported to police in 1997, when she was 15 years old, that Monfredo sexually abused her.

Worcester Chief of Police Paul Saucier reached out to Prunier in early 2024. After an initial discussion, Saucier connected her with Sgt. Justin Bennes of the Worcester Police Department’s Special Crimes/Sexual Assault Unit. Prunier and Bennes first met in April 2024 and again the following month. Discussions included Bennes’ review of the 1997 case file.

Prunier considered accepting an offer by the department to re-investigate her allegations against Monfredo. After significant deliberation and consultation with her family and closest friends, she declined. She says that members of the police department warned that discovering evidence so many years later would be extremely difficult.

Monfredo’s advanced age also weighed on Prunier’s decision. If the investigation produces enough evidence to charge Monfredo, the possibility of a decline in cognitive ability, substantial health problems, or his death makes a trial and conviction highly unlikely.

The re-traumatizing effect of enduring a process that once left her feeling disregarded by the legal system weighed especially heavily on her decision.

Pursuit of Records

After informing the department she declined to pursue a new investigation and charges, she made her first request for the case files from the 1997 investigation.

On two occasions, Prunier says she followed the instructions provided to her to request the files. Both resulted in the department issuing new instructions, claiming they had provided the previous instructions in error.

After seeking legal advice, Prunier hand-delivered a notarized document on July 21, 2025, to the police department that complied with state requirements.

On Aug. 12, an email from Bennes informed Prunier that the department had processed the documents and submitted them to the city’s law department. Bennes also provided Prunier with a new contact at the police department for any further inquiries.

Over two months since that email, Prunier says she has received no documents or contact from the City of Worcester.

While Ch. 41 § 97D provides no explicit timeline for the release of documents, “accessible at all reasonable times, upon written request,” would indicate less than months.

The state public records law requires agencies to provide records within 10 business days and allows an additional 15 business day extension if the agency provides notification to the requester prior to 10 business days elapsing. Prunier received no such notification.

Prunier says she believes those records will show that the Worcester Police Department turned over a robust case to the Worcester County District Attorney’s office in 1997, with more than adequate evidence to prosecute Monfredo.

John Conte, then the Worcester County District Attorney, and a long-time friend of Monfredo, declined to prosecute.