Warning: This story contains graphic details that could be offensive or disturbing to some readers.
An outside investigator has been hired to look into the case involving a Quincy police officer and allegations that he sent a sexually explicit photo of himself to a young woman with special needs.
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According to police and state reports obtained by the NBC10 Boston Investigators, Officer Andrew Keenan was accused in 2017 of sending a sexually explicit photo to a young woman who was living at a school for people with intellectual disabilities. Records show she was also under the guardianship of her parents.
Keenan is politically connected. His father, Paul Keenan, retired in June, but was the Quincy Police Department's chief at the time. The officer's uncle, Tom Koch, is the city's mayor.
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The department placed Andrew Keenan on paid administrative leave in July and launched an internal investigation.
After saying last month it would bring in an outside investigator, the city has hired the female-owned-and-operated investigative team from Kurker Paget LLC from Waltham to investigate what happened and how the case was handled.
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The office of Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz told NBC10 Boston that the case involves two consenting adults, that no criminal charges were filed and that there aren't any records of an internal investigation back in 2017.
When the NBC10 Boston Investigators confronted Keenan and his father, the officer declined to comment, saying he was silenced by the ongoing investigation.
Reports from the Hanover Police Department state the young woman was under the guardianship of her parents when on Aug. 17, 2017, Keenan reached out on to her on Facebook, told her he was horny, sent her the photo and asked her to send a sexual video of herself, which she did. The report also stated the Quincy officer told her to delete the conversation, that the young woman was flattered by the attention and that Keenan was remorseful.
Police reports in Hanover also state that a former Cushing student told authorities Keenan had reached out to her too that August while he had been drinking, and that the state investigated him years earlier for sexting with a student while he worked at the school. That allegation was determined to be unsubstantiated.
Paul Keenan, who hired his son, was the department's chief when the accusations first surfaced. Quincy Police Department records show there was not an internal investigation at the time.
"It was investigated by two outside agencies," Paul Keenan told the NBC10 Boston Investigators. "They thoroughly vetted it, they closed the case out without any criminal complaints."
The former chief said it was handled it as an employee assistance matter. He called this part of an ongoing criminal harassment by a former, disgraced Quincy police officer.
But newly appointed Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy said he immediately ordered an internal investigation when he learned of the allegations in July, placing Keenan on paid administrative leave.
"I think it's just important that the public recognizes that we're not an agency that covers up for our own," Kennedy said. "We discipline people, we've terminated people. We take the integrity of our officers very seriously."
Andrew Keenan's uncle, Quincy Mayor Tom Koch, said he was never told about the case. In a statement, he said, "The matter was handled internally at the Police Department in 2017 so I was not informed. My expectation is that it was handled appropriately."
Koch previously said he has full confidence in the current internal review.
The state’s Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, which oversees police conduct and certifies officers, has been notified about the allegations.
