WPD Finds First Use of Force Violations Since 2015

By Tom Marino | September 9, 2025

Last Updated: September 9, 2025

WORCESTER – Since the appointment of Worcester Chief of Police Paul Saucier, one controversial Worcester Police officer is no longer a city employee, the department’s Bureau of Professional Standards (BOPS) sustained two complaints of use of force violations, and several officers received reprimands for skipping past video officers were required to watch as part of training.

One of those controversial cases included another officer who is no longer a City of Worcester employee.

The Worcester Police Department rarely disciplined officers for use of force violations in at least the two decades prior to Saucier’s appointment, including in controversial cases captured on video, which became public. The first sustained allegation of a violation of the department’s use of force policy relates to an incident in October 2023, about six weeks after City Manager Eric Batista appointed Saucier the chief of police.

The last time a BOPS investigation found a Worcester Police officer responsible for a violation of its use of force policy was in 2015.

Officer in Beer Garden Incident No Longer a City Employee

Shortly after midnight on October 25, 2019, a call for all officers on duty to respond to the Beer Garden on Franklin Street went out over the police radio. A large group of people were fighting each other, and some fought responding officers. The chaotic scene led to several arrests, and multiple officers engaged in violent struggles to conduct the arrests.

Chris Ayala-Melendez was not at the Beer Garden, but lived in a building next to it on Franklin Street. He was walking home with his girlfriend when they came upon the scene.

Officer Shawn Tivnan arrested Ayala and charged him with Assault and Battery on a Police Officer, Resisting Arrest, and Disorderly Conduct. Surveillance video captured the scene, showing Ayala did not commit these crimes. See more about this case and see the video here.

This Week in Worcester has learned that Tivnan is no longer an employee of the City of Worcester.

The City of Worcester and the Worcester Police Department confirmed that the now-former officer no longer works within the city government’s workforce. Both declined to provide any other related information, citing the city’s policy of not commenting on personnel matters.

While the circumstances that led to the separation are unclear, it is unlikely a result of the 2019 Beer Garden incident. After initially finding only a training defect and sustaining no wrongdoing by Tivnan, then Chief of Police Steve Sargent reopened the case to sustain an allegation of false reporting by Tivnan. Other officers who lied during the course of the internal investigation were not investigated.

According to records obtained by This Week in Worcester through a public records request, BOPS did not open another investigation of Tivnan after its investigation of the incident at the Beer Garden.

Two Officers Cited for Violating Use of Force Policy

The Worcester Police Department Bureau of Professional Standards (BOPS) is the internal investigation unit within the department that investigates allegations of wrongdoing against officers. BOPS forwards its investigation report to the chief of police for approval. When the department sustains allegations against officers for misconduct, it reports those findings to the
Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST), a state-level agency that issues and can revoke a license to be a police officer in Massachusetts.

Since the appointment of Chief Saucier, the department reported two instances of use of force policy violations to POST. Both were for using force one level above the circumstance authorized by the department’s use of force policy.

In both cases, the investigation took place at the request of a captain within the department, not a resident complaint.

Earlier this year, Chief Saucier said he increased the number of body camera footage reviews required of supervising officers.

Department policy requires any officer who uses force to report it before the end of that shift. Body camera footage of all uses of force requires review by a supervising officer.

WPD Use of Force Policy

The Worcester Police Department’s Use of Force policy says that officers are authorized to respond to active resistance or non-compliance, like a fleeing suspect, with a level three use of force. Level three includes the use of a taser in drive stun mode, which requires the taser to make physical contact with the subject. Deploying the taser prongs is not authorized at level three.

A level four use of force, when an officer perceives a suspect presents a threat of bodily harm. Level four authorizes the use of taser prongs.

The department authorizes a level five use of force in circumstances where the officer perceives the suspect presents a threat of serious bodily injury or death. Lethal force is allowed at level 5.

Pursuit of Suspect with Warrant – October 2023

About six weeks after Saucier’s appointment as chief of police, officer Jovanni Mojica came upon a woman he had prior interactions with. Mojica was aware the individual had an outstanding warrant. According to the officer’s incident report, when the suspect saw Mojica’s police cruiser, she fled.

Mojica wrote that in his prior interactions with this person, she did not flee.

Mojica wrote that he pursued the woman on foot as she entered the backyard of a property on Belmont St. The woman fled around the house and climbed over a fence on Eastern Ave. Before losing sight of her, Mojica said the woman placed “her hands inside of her front hoodie pocket as she turned another corner,” leading him to believe the woman may have a weapon in her possession.

The officer soon regained sight of the woman and pursued on foot. As the woman ran around a parked vehicle, Mojica wrote that he activated his taser, then “placed the laser sight on the
small of (the woman’s) back so as to not impact any vital or sensitive areas,” and deployed the prongs. The suspect fell to the ground and was placed under arrest.

Mojica also wrote that the suspect did not follow commands to stay on the ground and attempted to get back to her feet. As she attempted to get back to her feet, he re-energized the taser a second time.

With the suspect in custody, Mojica discovered a pack of cigarettes in the front hoodie pocket, not a weapon.

The BOPS investigation sustained the following policy violations by Mojica:

Unnecessary Force – using more physical force than that which is reasonably necessary to accomplish a proper police objective.
Use of Force – Deploying level four force in circumstances which justified level three
Conducted Energy Weapon (Taser)

Saucier approved a 5-day suspension of Mojica, and retaining on the department’s use of force conducted by a captain and deputy chief.

This BOPS investigation was the first into actions taken by Mojica. A citizen complain resulted in another investigation of Mojica for use of force in May 2024. BOPS exonerated Mojica on the claims in that complaint.

Larceny Investigation Turns to Pursuit – June 2024

On June 11, 2024, Lieutenant Joseph Campbell responded to a report of two individuals walking through Elm Park. One was pushing a snowblower, and the other a lawnmower. Campbell located the two men and began asking questions. Shortly after the conversation began, one man fled on foot. Campbell pursued the man.

Similar to the incident in October 2023, Campbell deployed the probes of his taser during the pursuit. The probes did not come into contact with the suspect. Campbell lost the suspect in the Pleasant Street area.

Campbell told investigators that days before this incident, he reviewed training material provided to new recruits as part of his role as a field training officer. That information includes information from the taser vendor that says, “‘If a person is not an immediate threat or flight risk, avoid CEW use!”

Campbell said, ” I interpreted this to mean that if a person was in active flight that CEW use would be appropriate. With the male in the incident being in active flight, I deployed my taser.”

Included in the BOPS report is a written statement from Campbell. In it, he says, ” Post incident I realized my use of the taser was in violation of our department use of force. The male subject was not assaultive, and a probe deployment was improper. “In another part of the statement, he says, “I fully understand that my actions were in violation of WPD Use of Force policies.”

Campbell’s clear and bold acceptance of responsibility is unique among the several BOPS reports This Week in Worcester has reviewed in its eight years of publication.

The BOPS investigation sustained the following policy violations:

Use of Force – Deploying level four force in circumstances which justified level three
Conducted Energy Weapon (Taser)

Lt. Campbell received assignments for counselling and retraining.

27 Officers Cited for “Fast Forwarding”

The Worcester Police Department provided the POST Commission with 27 officers alleged to “fast forward through mandatory training video.” The reported incident date is Jan. 1, 2024.

Three officers are no longer members of the department, according to POST records: