Recent headlines have thrust the Massachusetts State Police into the public eye, opening the agency up to public scrutiny. We asked people in Boston what they think of the agency, and experts about the perception of the agency and what might change the culture.
The Massachusetts State Police, once regarded as the preeminent law enforcement agency in the state, has faced a series of high-profile scandals in recent years that have cast a shadow over its reputation.
These controversies have sparked a strong reaction among Massachusetts taxpayers and raised serious questions about accountability and integrity within the force.
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As trust in law enforcement nationwide continues to be a critical issue, the unraveling of these scandals has profoundly affected public perception of the state police, prompting calls for reform and a closer look at how the institution has remained mired in negative headlines.
“I mean, internally, there's no incentive to change. It has to come from the outside and say, ‘No, we want to stop this. We want a different approach.’ And that just hasn't happened yet,” Boston Globe columnist and associate editor Joan Vennochi said.
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This is part of our series, "Commonwealth Confidential: State of Policing." Learn much more on police in Massachusetts here.
Most recently, the lack of details on the tragic death of Massachusetts State Police trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia raised urgent questions about the agency's training practices at its academy.
A panel commissioned by Gov. Michael Dukakis following the death of a state police recruit in the late 1980s was tasked with investigating policies and procedures surrounding training at police academies, and making recommendations on best practices.
Three decades later, former state lawmaker and committee member Kevin Blanchette compared reaction from state leaders between the two tragedies.
“What is disconcerting is that something happened and we don't know. And I think we public have a right to know what happened,” Blanchette said. “The silence is deafening. Back then, there was a swift, swift reaction. I don't want to call it inaction, necessarily, but the silence, the fact that everything's gone quiet. Everything's gone dark.”
The public is awaiting the findings of an independent attorney who was hired to investigate the circumstances surrounding Delgado-Garcia’s death.
However, as the comments to any state police social media post suggest, it is clear some taxpayers have lost patience with the lack of answers. A mundane post about a traffic alert can generate dozens of angry posts about the recruit’s death or other notable controversies.
“What happened with Enrique Delgado-Garcia? We want justice. We demand answers,” one user commented on a post commemorating women serving with the State Police.
The “steady drumbeat” of scandals trace back to the widespread overtime fraud scandal in 2018, continuing through the explosive testimony of the lead investigator in the high-profile Karen Read murder trial this summer.
These scandals have caused concern to the public over whether the agency consists of a few bad apples or if there is an overall culture problem.
“I talked about the culture of the police and the sort of the sexism and misogyny that came out of the state police investigators [in the trial],” Vennochi mentioned, in reference to a column she wrote on the topic. “Again, I'm not saying every state trooper is that way, but when you've got a whole agency that sort of just comes from this male culture of warriors, it's not that surprising.”
Col. Geoffrey Noble, who was sworn in to lead the agency by Gov. Maura Healy in October, addressed public sentiment and the regaining of trust while speaking at the 90th Recruit Training Troop graduation.
As the new leader of the agency, Noble told the new troopers that he would work hard to gain trust in the community and said he wanted that to trickle down to all ranks of the force.
“The most important tool you have is not a piece of equipment on your belt or in your cruiser, it is the public trust that we must earn every day,” Noble told new troopers. “As you start your career, you must earn and maintain that trust to the people we serve every single day, both on and off duty.”
What the public thinks of Massachusetts State Police
NBC10 Boston teamed up with journalism students at Boston University’s College of Communication for a deeper dive into the state police. In an in-depth reporting class taught by NBC10 Investigator Ryan Kath, we explored angles about the culture inside the Academy, how deaths are investigated in Massachusetts, concerns about lack of transparency, complaints about racial and gender discrimination and what it will take to restore public trust.
Last month, two BU students hit the street with NBC10 commentator Sue O’Connell and asked people walking near Copley Square a simple question: “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear Massachusetts State Police?”
Some of the responses about the state’s largest law enforcement were positive, including words like “reliability,” “safety” and “traffic stops.”
“I feel like they do a good job in making sure that we're safe by patrolling and making their presence known,” one local said.
However, some people were quick to blurt out words like “criminals,” “scandals,” “problems” and “corruption.”
“If you asked me that, like, maybe two years ago, I'd say protection, power, and on our side,” a woman answered. “But if you asked me today, I think there are some bad apples that need to be removed.”
When we asked about potential changes to the force, several people referenced a change to the culture and curriculum at the Academy.
“Those physical exercises give me a great deal of worry,” a woman said. “They really need to change their ways so nobody gets hurt.”
Other taxpayers emphasized a need for accountability, especially when misconduct is exposed.
The big question: What does the Massachusetts State Police need to do to turn the tide of public sentiment?
“There are good police officers and the issue here is that we need to make sure that the bad apples are cleared out,” one taxpayer told us. “It's kind of sad that the good ones, when they see something wrong in their department, feel like they can’t speak up. They need to have that protection so that it can be nipped in the bud.”
The story was reported by BU students Olson and Rodriguez and edited by Kath.
