For Immediate Release: 8/1/2022 4:08 pm
On July 21st 2022, the Worcester Police Department became aware of possible criminal activity involving an officer’s off-duty assignments. The Detective Bureau was assigned to investigate the allegations and developed probable cause to believe that Colby Turner, a Worcester Police officer, had requested and received reimbursement for off-duty assignments that he had not worked. On August 1st, a warrant was issued by the Worcester District Court Clerk’s Office charging Mr. Turner with five felony counts of Larceny Over $1200 by Single Scheme and the misdemeanor of Submitting False Claims for Reimbursement. He was placed under arrest at the WPD station.
Mr. Turner, who has been employed by the Worcester Police Department for about five years, will be arraigned in court. He is currently on administrative leave and the Massachusetts POST Commission was notified. At this time, we believe this is an isolated incident. We will review our policies and procedures related to off-duty assignments, and will be conducting an internal and external audit of the system.
