State agency finds former acting police chief in Lawrence ‘dangerous to the public'

Massachusetts' police oversight agency is moving to revoke the law enforcement credentials of the former acting chief in Lawrence.

In an "order to show cause" document the NBC10 Boston Investigators obtained, the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission said it has evidence to show William Castro is not fit for duty as a police officer and is a danger to the public.

However, in a strongly-worded response to the agency, Castro's attorney countered that his client has been the victim of a conspiracy to destroy his reputation.

Castro, who was the Lawrence mayor's chief of staff when he was appointed to the police chief role in October 2023, faced turmoil following a controversial car chase a few months later.

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Surveillance video shows Castro engaged a vehicle pursuit in February 2024 through the streets of Lawrence for a suspect wanted for trying to cash a stolen check. At one point, Castro pursued the Mercedes in his unmarked department vehicle onto a sidewalk, and later into oncoming lanes of traffic on a bridge.

Following the incident, Mayor Brian DePeña wrote a letter to the head of the police department's internal affairs unit, saying no further investigation was necessary.

"I believe Chief Castro acted assertively and quickly in an attempt to safeguard the citizens of Lawrence," DePeña said. "I believe his response to be truthful."

The POST Commission came to a much different conclusion. The agency suspended Castro's law enforcement certification and determined the acting chief was not truthful when he filed a report that said he believed it was a bank robbery.

During an interview in January with NBC10 Boston and our colleagues at Telemundo, DePeña indicated he thought the incident was blown out of proportion.

While Castro collected his $210,000 salary on paid administrative leave, city officials eventually hired Daniel Bennett — the state's former public safety secretary — to conduct an independent investigation.

Bennett's report was damning. He concluded Castro broke several laws and should be fired.

DePeña did not act on that recommendation, however, calling the report incomplete because Castro was never interviewed.

The mayor's office spent more taxpayer money on a separate investigation that looked into how Bennett's probe expanded to include other allegations against Castro.

During a February public meeting, Bennett told city council members that he repeatedly tried to interview Castro before the mayor's office told him to "halt" the investigation.

"I had substantive evidence and all of it fit together to give a very strong circumstantial case that Mr. Castro was in a high-speed chase when he didn't have a right to be in it and then he went and lied on his police report," Bennett said. "Which in my mind is far more serious, because you can't have a dishonest police officer."

In its disciplinary letter, the POST Commission informed Castro that he "engaged in a pattern of unprofessional conduct that may escalate." The agency also found evidence of intimidation and retaliation against other officers, along with instances of performing his police chief role after the POST Commission suspension.

However, in response to the agency, Castro's attorney said his client has been targeted for trying to clean up the department.

"[Castro's] efforts, at the request of the Mayor, to address issues of a police department in long-time disarray, have been thwarted by unwarranted, unprecedented, and dishonest charges in an effort for various persons to avoid accountability so they can continue their misconduct," attorney Walter Jacobs wrote in his response.

The next step in the disciplinary process is a pre-conference hearing. A POST Commission spokesperson said that will be scheduled in April.

For now, Castro has been relieved on the police chief duties, taken off administrative leave, and returned to his previous chief of staff position, working alongside the mayor at City Hall.

Sgt. Mike Simard, the president of the superior officers union in Lawrence, said Castro’s response to the POST Commission was filled with inaccuracies and he believes the agency will take appropriate action against his certification.

“(Castro) deflects blame for his own misconduct onto others, and fails to accept responsibility for his actions,” Simard said.