‘SIGNIFICANT JUSTIFICATION’

Massachusetts Police Department Investigated by DOJ After Tasering Pastor

Rev. Joseph Rizzuti Sr. was tased by officers inside his Worcester Baptist church amid a custody dispute in 2019.

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into a Massachusetts police department for excessive force after recently released bodycam footage showed Worcester police officers tasering a pastor in his own church in 2019. The incident, which stemmed from a custody dispute, resulted in the arrest of Rev. Joseph Rizzuti Sr. along with his son and daughter. “Based on information provided to the Justice Department, we find significant justification to investigate whether the Worcester Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of racially discriminatory and gender-biased policing, and uses excessive force,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Ensuring that our law enforcement officers act in a constitutional and non-discriminatory manner is among the highest priorities of the Department of Justice.” The footage was released amid a court trial earlier this month, where Rizzuti was acquitted for assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest. The DOJ says it will be interviewing community groups and residents to assess their experiences with the department.