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Kevin Lovaincy, Worcester’s chief equity officer, teaches a session on community policing and diversity, equity and inclusion at the Worcester Police Academy. (Photo courtesy city of Worcester)
As part of the city’s effort to make its police force more responsive to the community’s needs, Worcester’s municipal police academy is adding a new curriculum on community policing and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Worcester — one of only a few Massachusetts municipalities to run their own police academies — has added 12 sessions of community policing and DEI education to its six-month training for student officers. The academy class of 18 that started in mid-January is the first to receive the curriculum, taught by the city’s chief equity officer, Kevin Lovaincy.
“For some of these officers, it may be the first time that they’re in a highly diverse community, and in a city that is also a sanctuary city,” Lovaincy said. “We have some of the highest [numbers of] refugees, immigrants, people that are … coming to Worcester because of our political climate. So we’re just trying to really prepare them for what patrolling looks like in 2025 with a really diverse community.”
The DEI-focused training for student officers comes as the city is seeking to transform its policing after a year of challenges. Last March, an audit of the Police Department made dozens of recommendations to address racial equity concerns, including increased training. And in December, the U.S. Department of Justice released a report alleging the use of excessive force, discriminatory behavior and sexual misconduct among some officers.
City Manager Eric Batista called on the police and Lovaincy’s department, the Executive Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, to develop a “comprehensive set of initiatives,” including the DEI training for student officers, to address the findings of both the racial equity audit and the Justice Department report.
“It is one of several initiatives we are undertaking to ensure that the Police Department continues to equitably serve its residents, and that the department is constantly adapting as community needs change,” Batista said in a statement. “I commend both departments for their collaborative work and I look forward to seeing the results.”
Lovaincy worked with Police Chief Paul Saucier and his department to build the curriculum. After joining the city in October, Lovaincy spent a few months getting familiar with the department, building trust and relationships with its personnel, and understanding the real-life challenges involved with police work, in order to build a curriculum that focuses on how to use community policing through a DEI lens.
In Massachusetts, the Municipal Police Training Committee requires the police academies to provide more than 800 hours of the MPTC-approved course curriculum. An MPTC spokesperson said individual academies can provide additional instruction reflecting the communities they serve, as long as it doesn’t conflict with or detract from the MPTC training curriculum. The spokesperson confirmed that the Worcester academy is complying with the state’s core curriculum requirements.
Lovaincy said Worcester’s new curriculum focuses on the history and evolution of policing and its impact on marginalized communities, the socialization of individuals, microaggressions, understanding and mitigating bias, and the importance of community engagement in policing. The program will include about 15 community speakers, representing the Jewish community, the LGBTQIA+ community, the Black community, the Latino community, people with disabilities, and human rights advocates.
“I want these new officers — prior to patrolling, prior to hitting the streets — to have a good understanding of why there is mistrust in certain populations, or certain communities, because of the history of policing,” Lovaincy said.
Students have to create a personal action plan that will form part of their police performance assessments. Once they graduate, Lovaincy plans to follow their progress through the department, and measure performance indicators such as the number of excessive force incidents and complaints. The new officers will receive follow-up resources and support, he said, adding that, “It’s not just a one and done class, and that’s it.”
The rest of the Police Department, which numbers 352 officers, is also getting in-service training, with a separate workshop and training materials. Lovaincy said he is working with the department to make sure that its policies are updated and equitable, and he will “look at strategic, long-term plans on how to make the culture more welcoming.”
Lovaincy is looking to expand this work through other Worcester departments. He is developing a DEI curriculum for the Worcester Fire Department Training Academy, which he said will reflect the specific challenges that firefighters face on the job.