Quincy police detective on leave amidst troubling allegations

Warning: This story contains graphic details that could be offensive or disturbing to some readers.

The oath taken to wear the badge and public trust is now under scrutiny at the Quincy Police Department after disturbing allegations involving officer Andrew Keenan surfaced from 2017.

Keenan was placed on paid administrative leave last month amidst allegations that he sent a sexually explicit photo of himself to a young woman with developmental disabilities back in August of that year.

Keenan is politically connected. His father is the longtime Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan who just retired in June. His uncle is Mayor Thomas Koch.

According to police and state reports obtained by the NBC10 Investigators, Officer Keenan was accused of sending a sexually explicit photo of himself to a young woman who was a student at the Cardinal Cushing School in Hanover where he previously worked. The school offers education, housing and life support for people with intellectual disabilities.

Law Enforcement and security consultant Todd McGhee served as a state trooper for 24 years and reviewed the reports in the Keenan case. He told us the alleged conduct isn’t acceptable for any police officer.

“It was very clear in the report that she’s under guardianship by both parents, first clue. Second clue even though she lives alone at a special needs residential program we don’t want to indicate that this was two consenting adults,” McGhee said.

In an affidavit and police reports, Hanover Police wrote that the woman Keenan sent the photo to suffered from “mental deficiencies,” was under the guardianship of her parents and living on the school’s campus.

The report says on August 17, 2017, Keenan reached out on to her on Facebook, told her he was horny, sent a photo of his erect penis and asked her to send a video of her masturbating, which she did. The report also says the Quincy police officer told her to delete the conversation and that the young woman was flattered this officer was paying attention to her but she knew she shouldn’t have sent the video.

The woman’s mother found the interaction on her daughter’s phone and reported it to the state’s Disabled Person’s Protection Commission which contacted the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.

The District Attorney’s spokesperson, Beth Stone, told us it was determined in 2017 that “the conduct did not support criminal charges. The allegation involved two consenting adults and the victim did not want to go forward.”

Mark Kennedy is the newly appointed Quincy Police Chief. He said he immediately ordered an investigation when he learned of the allegations last month and placed Keenan on paid administrative leave.

According to department records there was no internal investigation into the allegations in 2017.

“When we were made aware, we launched our own internal review to see what was actually done in 2017 and I can tell you the incident was addressed in 2017. Part of our review is into what exactly was done and how it was documented. I’m confident that what is alleged to have occurred does not constitute a crime in Massachusetts,” Kennedy said.

Records also show another former Cardinal Cushing student said Keenan reached out to her, too, that August and may have asked her for a photo. She says when she asked Keenan if he had been drinking, he said yes.

NBC10 Investigators discovered the state also investigated Keenan in 2012 for allegedly sexting with a student at the Cushing School while he worked there but that allegation was unsubstantiated.

"As a police officer, you can’t have a blemish on your career, your credibility is everything,” McGhee said.

Chief Kennedy said he expects his officers "to do their jobs, to be accountable to the citizens of Quincy and to be professional.”

When Kennedy was asked if officer Keenan’s alleged actions were professional, he replied, “I’ll tell you that we’re looking into what happened, we’re looking into the allegations and we’re looking into how they were handled.”

He also said the department takes the integrity of its officers very seriously and the department doesn’t cover up for their own.

NBC10 Investigators reached out to Andrew Keenan to ask him about the allegations and he hung up the phone. His father, the retired police chief, says his son was cleared of any wrongdoing and calls this an ongoing criminal harassment by a former, disgraced Quincy police officer who posted comments on social media.

The state’s Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, which oversees police conduct and certifies officers, has been notified about the allegations.