Emotions run high during hearing for suspended Hopkinton police sergeant

HOKINTON, Mass — A town hearing to decide the fate of a suspended police sergeant ended Friday with no decision and a lot of frustration from the hundreds of residents in attendance.

Sgt. Tim Brennan, a 22-year veteran of the Hopkinton Police Dept., is fighting to keep his job after the town suspended him in May. Hopkinton Police Chief Joseph Bennett wants to terminate Brennan because he said Brennan violated department policies by failing to report sexual assault and rape allegations involving former Deputy Police Chief John Porter and a child.

The town released documents from its external investigation. You can read those documents here.

“Sgt. Brennan’s inaction and silence eliminated the opportunity for the Hopkinton Police Dept. or any outside agency to investigate the allegations made against the deputy [chief],” Bennett said.

Porter was indicted on three counts of child rape in May. Investigators said he sexually assaulted and raped a Hopkinton High School student in 2004 and 2005 when she was 14 years old and Porter was a school resource officer.

According to Brennan, the victim first told him of the sexual assault allegations in 2017 when she was an adult. Brennan said he never reported her allegations because he was worried it would scare the victim and keep her from cooperating with law enforcement.

“In 2017, I did not have a cooperating victim,” Brennan said. “It keeps coming up that I did nothing. I answered phone calls from the survivor. I talked to her. I encouraged her to report it. I encouraged her to continue to seek counseling. I didn’t do nothing.”

But Bennett and town attorney Nicholas Anastasopoulos argued Brennan had a duty as a sworn officer to report the allegations to somebody, and failing to allowed Porter to climb the ranks within the department.

“To be clear, Sergeant Brennan does not have the rank or the authority or discretion to make such a decision to stay silent about such a serious allegation when made against a member of the Hopkinton Police Department,” Bennett said.

Hundreds of residents, including many vocal Brennan supporters, attended Friday’s hearing at the Hopkinton Senior Center. The Select Board was forced to take multiple breaks after several outbursts from the crowd.

The board voted to suspend the hearing without taking a vote on Brennan’s future. The town and Brennan’s attorney now have 30 days to negotiate an agreement on any potential disciplinary action.

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