Massachusetts created a statewide police oversight commission to restore and maintain public trust in law enforcement. 25 Investigates found evidence of recorded disciplinary actions in fewer than half of the confirmed domestic violence cases involving officers across the state.
25 Investigates teamed up with data journalism students at Boston University to examine not just the total number of domestic violence cases reported to the Massachusetts Police Officer Standards and Training Commission, or POST, but how those cases and complaints are getting resolved.
At least 120 police officers in 67 agencies around Massachusetts, including four from universities, have been involved in domestic violence since 1996, with more than three-quarters of cases reported after 2020, according to a Boston 25 analysis of state disciplinary filings, news reports and other public records. The cases range in severity from verbal threats and witness intimidation to more severe crimes involving physical violence like strangulation and assault with a dangerous weapon.
In the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd at the hands of police and national cries for police reform that followed, Massachusetts created POST or the Police Officer Standards and Training Commission. One of the commission’s mandates is to track the disciplinary records of officers that were active and certified on or after July 1, 2021. POST said it requested police departments to turn over disciplinary records that existed prior to the creation of the state agency. However, that process was inconsistent and dependent on individual department record-keeping.
25 Investigates identified disciplinary actions in about a third of the confirmed cases of officer-related domestic violence around the state since POST started keeping records.
In response to requests for records, the POST Commission provided Boston 25 with logs of allegations against officers involving domestic violence. Other records were gathered from the commission’s publicly available dataset.
Through web searching, 25 Investigates was able to identify 10 cases where officers were convicted of domestic violence charges in court and did not appear in POST data, separate from the 110 records from POST.
Executive Director of Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, Hema Sarang-Sieminski, said the numbers are alarming, though not surprising.
“Law enforcement is supposed to be the entity that keeps people safe,” Sarang-Sieminski said. “That’s the cultural messaging around what this institution is.”
Experts said 25 Investigates findings are just the tip of the iceberg. Domestic violence itself is often underreported and difficult to track, and cases involving law enforcement can be even more difficult to capture.
“Through reports, we only see a fraction,” Sarang-Sieminski said.
Margo Lindauer, a law professor specializing in domestic violence who previously served as the director of programs at RESPOND Inc., a prevention and support organization and worked for Jane Doe, said it’s estimated that domestic violence directly impacts one in three people in their lifetime. She said survivors may not come forward because they are scared, don’t think they will be believed, or are worried about the outcome for the officer and potential fallout.
“The rates of domestic violence within the force are much, much higher,” Lindauer said. “And the rates of reporting are lower than average.”
25 Investigates analysis of the state’s largest agencies show in the State Police, there have been 19 troopers with domestic violence cases since 2010, and in the Boston Police Department, there have been seven since 2019.
Although the largest departments have the largest case numbers, we cannot verify that their rates are comparatively higher than other departments. Disciplinary records turned over to the POST were inconsistent prior to the establishment of the commission. Moreover, some agencies like Boston have a designated records officer, while others do not, and this discrepancy could skew the data.
Most cities and towns had no cases of domestic violence reported to the state, and out of those jurisdictions with cases, the majority had one. But in Methuen, a city of about 53,000 north of Boston, five different officers have been involved in confirmed domestic violence cases since 1996. One officer has more than a dozen reports of misconduct and two cases of domestic violence on his record. The Methuen Police Department declined numerous calls from reporters.
Both individual departments and the POST Commission have the authority to discipline officers due to domestic violence. Individual departments can terminate an officer, but only the POST Commission can revoke or suspend an officer’s certification, which individuals need in order to work in law enforcement.
Enrique Zuniga, executive director of the POST Commission, said he is concerned about the time it takes departments to report the data to them. He said he has “no way of knowing for sure” whether every department is complying in full with the regulations.
To address the gap in timing, Zuniga said, the commission is developing an audit program that will aim to publish a list of departments that fail to comply with the POST rules surrounding self-reporting officer misconduct.
“We won’t be shy about administratively suspending the head of the agency if that’s what is merited to get to the complying of information submitted to us,” Zuniga said.
Each individual department is required to self-report all complaints against officers within two business days; there are additional touchpoints when an agency conducts an internal investigation into an officer. There are exceptions for so-called minor matters. Zungia said they rely on agencies to follow the rules and after 5 years, they want to test to see if the system is keeping agencies honest.
“I don’t want to paint a picture that there’s a lot of underreporting, but we really don’t know for sure,” said Zuniga.
Out of all the cases statewide, 25 Investigates was able to identify officer discipline in about one-third. The consequences ranged from mandatory retraining and lost vacation time to temporary suspension. In a total of 15 out of 120 cases, the POST Commission decertified officers due to domestic violence. Out of the 120 cases we identified, 28 resigned or retired before facing discipline.
In the city of Boston, four police officers resigned or retired in lieu of discipline related to their domestic violence cases, and of the three remaining cases, the POST Commission has no record of discipline. The Boston Police Department refused to speak on the issue after several calls.
25 Investigates findings don’t reveal the full scope of domestic violence, experts say, because domestic violence is underreported. A POST Commission spokesperson said even with what is reported, some aren’t yet public due to a pending or active investigation, or if details need to be confirmed. Some records that include criminal charges that are redacted, which could impact data collection.
Todd McGhee, a Massachusetts state trooper of 24 years who is now retired, said during his time on the force, he saw “his fair share” of officers losing their jobs due to domestic violence incidents.
McGhee said the culture within police departments has some influence over how officers cope with the stress of the badge.
“Officers, periodically throughout their time, will face experiences that can contribute to PTSD,” McGhee said. “We didn’t then have the proper channels to be able to address some of that trauma.”
The Boston 25 analysis found the State Police disciplined seven of its 19 officers with records of domestic violence, and three retired or resigned in lieu of discipline. We are waiting for a statement from the State Police.
“You need to be able to create a culture that if I’m seeking help, it’s not a sign of weakness, it’s not a sign that I can’t do my job,” McGhee said. “It’s a sign that I’ve experienced something that is heavy, and I need to sort it in a healthy way instead of ignoring it.”
To produce this story, Boston 25 partnered with the Justice Media Computational Journalism co-Lab, a collaboration between Boston University’s College of Communication and the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences’ BU Spark! program. With assistance from professors Brooke Williams and Anthony Chamberas. Boston 25’s Kerry Kavanaugh wrote the broadcast version of this story.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW