Worcester Police Chief Steve Sargent retires

WORCESTER - Police Chief Steven M. Sargent announced his retirement Friday, capping 37 years in law enforcement.

He became the head of the Police Department May 12, 2016.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve the City that I grew up in and raised a family in,” Sargent said in a statement released by the city at 1 p.m. “To the residents of Worcester, I appreciate all of your support over the years and enjoyed working in partnership as we improved public safety and addressed quality of life issues together.”

The retirement is effective immediately. In a press release issued later Friday afternoon, the city announced the appointment of Worcester Police Department Deputy Chief Paul B. Saucier as interim police chief, effective immediately.

Sargent, 62, the son of retired Lt. Richard Sargent and father of current officer Steven T. Sargent, assumed the position of chief from Gary J. Gemme, who held the job for 11 years.

His appointment by City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. in 2016 followed promotions to sergeant in 1995, lieutenant in 1999, captain in 2004 and deputy chief in 2007.

Sargent’s retirement coincides with a city-commissioned investigation into allegations the chief drove his vehicle aggressively toward the cruiser of an officer in the department’s court liaison unit.

As the Telegram & Gazette reported Aug. 18, a separate investigation the city conducted in 2021 found Sargent had engaged in a “pattern of inappropriate behavior” toward the same officer, Robert Belsito, years ago.

A lawyer for the officer, Timothy M. Burke, alleged in a letter he wrote the city in July that Sargent had been warned that failure to "improve” could result in disciplinary action, including termination.

City Manager Eric D. Batista told the T&G Thursday he had been unaware of the 2021 investigation, which happened under prior city manager Augustus until a public records request for it was filed this spring.

Batista said the city is in the process of submitting the investigation to the state’s new police oversight agency, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.

The POST Commission last month released the names of 46 Worcester police officers with sustained misconduct complaints. The chief’s name was not on the list.

Augustus, now the state’s secretary for housing and living communities, declined an interview request Friday.

Nearly 40-year career with Worcester Police Department

Sargent joined the department in the spring of 1986 after serving as a member of the military police in the U.S. Army and working as a security guard for the T&G.

When he selected Sargent as chief seven years ago, Augustus praised him for his “passion for police work, love for his city and understanding of the challenges facing police in the 21st century.”

Augustus told the T&G at the time that he was committed to working with Sargent on implementing body cameras. In February of this year, Worcester became the last of the most eight populous cities in New England to implement body cameras.

The department under Sargent’s tenure has seen success and challenges.

Worcester ranked as one of nation's safest cities

The city went an entire year in 2017 without a homicide by firearm, and is currently ranked as the eighth-safest city in which to live by U.S. News & World Report. 

During calls to “defund” police departments in 2020, city leaders noted that youth arrests had declined about 45% since 2015, the year a spate of gang violence led to a comprehensive youth violence reduction plan.

In 2021, a Clark University researcher noted that the city had, since 2015, seen a 39% decrease in gun and knife incidents involving young people under the age of 25 and a 45% decrease in the number of young people involved in those incidents.

Sargent explained his policing philosophy to MassLive last year as largely focusing on getting guns and drugs off the streets, with a stress on neighborhoods.

“I don’t care about big scores. I care about getting it off the street,” Sargent, who formerly led the department's gang unit, told the outlet.

Sargent has frequently talked of a proactive policing style that includes intelligence gathering to stop violence, particularly gang violence, from spiraling out of control.

Department has faced allegations, and federal investigation

Such a style, in Worcester and other cities, is often accompanied by allegations of unconstitutional policing.

Sargent and other city officials have largely declined to discuss such allegations in Worcester, which is under a federal civil rights investigation after the Department of Justice in November said it found “significant justification to investigate whether (it) engages in a pattern or practice of racially discriminatory and gender-biased policing, and uses excessive force.”

The investigation is ongoing. Former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael S. Rollins — who announced the probe before resigning after a scathing report about her own misconduct — praised Sargent for his cooperation in January.

Sargent has been quick to issue statements following egregious police killings around the country, such as the cases of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Tyre Nichols in Memphis, and made headlines in 2020 when he kneeled with protesters following Floyd’s death.

He received criticism and clashed with the Board of Health in the months after Floyd’s death when he maintained that he had not seen racism in the department, a statement that appeared to contradict internal department records.

Sargent has led the department through the line-of-duty death of Officer Enmanuel “Manny” Familia while trying to save three drowning teenagers in 2021, the death of Ignacio "Iggy" Garcia in 2021 as well as the death of the city’s diversity officer, Sgt. Derrick Leto, in March.

He has often been publicly visible at events supporting officers, including leading officers in a 400-plus-mile relay run to Washington, D.C., in Familia’s honor.

Police officials union offers praise

The union that represents police officials, IBPO Local 504, hailed the chief in a statement Friday for his leadership following their deaths, saying he "(ensured) family, friends and police officers had the needed care and resources during these difficult times.

"Chief Sargent was fair, measured, and thoughtful during all dealings with this Union, creating an atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration," it wrote. "He was and is a Cop at heart who defended our Police Department, the Officers, and Officials from the constant and ongoing attacks on our credibility, integrity, and commitment to the citizens of our great city.

The union said it knew of "no other Chief that had to deal with the myriad and complexity of issues" facing the department during their tenure.

"His community and recruiting efforts increased the diversity of our department, reflecting our great city, now having officers who speak eight different languages," it wrote. "He led our department through COVID Response, Protests and the Civil Unrest that followed, always being out front."

"Due to his efforts, Worcester is one of the safest cities in Massachusetts and the nation. We wish him well in this next chapter of his life."

The president of the patrolman's union, Daniel J. Gilbert, did not immediately respond Friday to an emailed offer of comment.

City touts crime reduction, award

In its press release announcing Sargent's departure, the city said Sargent formed a foundation for "community policing" during a three-year assignment at Great Brook Valley early in his career.

He was "instrumental in the creation" of the city's Gang Unit in 1992, the city wrote, and, recognizing the need for youth violence prevention, helped establish numerous athletic programs for kids, as well as outreach programs with the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester.

The city noted that as Chief, Sargent created several new units, including the Neighborhood Response Team, Mounted Patrol and Crisis Intervention Team, and reinstated the K9 Unit and Traffic Division.

The city said crime decreased "significantly" under Sargent, writing that, from 2016 to 2022, "reportable offenses ... declined each consecutive year with a gross reduction of 29%."

The city also touted Sargent's expanded use of ShotSpotter technology, implementation of a drone program, and implementation of body cameras, writing he "embraced new technology to assist with policing strategies."

It further noted that Sargent is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Freedom Award, "the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their support of their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve."

In a lengthy statement Friday afternoon, Mayor Joseph M. Petty thanked Sargent for his service.

"Through Chief Sargent's diligent efforts, the Worcester Police Department has been rejuvenated with a younger, more educated, and culturally diverse workforce, a transformation that stands as a testament to his guidance," Petty wrote.

"In the contemporary landscape dominated by ceaseless social media engagement and an unceasing 24-hour news cycle, the challenges inherent in his role have been considerable. Chief Sargent has admirably navigated these complexities."

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester Police Chief Steve Sargent retires