The top of the Massachusetts State Police says firing Michael Proctor was a “righteous decision” — and that he doesn’t anticipate the previous trooper’s attraction to the Civil Service Fee to succeed.
“I’m confident that the civil service process will work itself out and at this point I have no reason to believe that they will see things any differently than we saw them,” MSP Col. Geoffrey Noble informed the Herald in an unique interview Tuesday.
Noble mentioned “I can’t and I won’t make any opinions yet” on future Civil Service Fee selections, however added that he respects the method.
“I’m very confident in the fact that we had a process here within the Mass State Police,” he mentioned, “and that through that process, when we ultimately gave the order to separate Trooper Proctor from service, I felt that that was certainly a righteous decision and certainly in the best interest of the Commonwealth and the Mass State Police.”
Noble was employed final September to guide the MSP. He got here from the New Jersey State Police, the place he had most just lately served as deputy superintendent of administration. He mentioned, nonetheless, nearly all of his profession was as a murder investigator so he understands “the unique pressure sometimes and the unique challenges and the unique exposure that come with homicide investigations.”
“My assessment is that … our detectives that are out there by and large are doing a very good job,” he informed the Herald.
“That said, I’m eyes wide open to a culture issue that I have concerns with,” he continued, “as it relates to what we saw with Trooper Proctor.”
The firing
These considerations got here to a head earlier this yr when the company fired Proctor, the lead investigator within the dying of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe — a case that led to homicide prices in opposition to O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Learn.
When Proctor took the stand in Learn’s first trial, he was pressured to learn textual content messages he admitted have been “unprofessional and regrettable,” despatched to each colleagues and previous mates. In them, he referred to Learn as a “babe,” a “whack job” — and different names too offensive to print — mocked a medical situation she suffers from, and shared case particulars with folks missing clearance, telling them “there’ll be some serious charges brought on the girl.”
Proctor additionally texted his sister that he hopes Learn “kills herself.”
Proctor, who earned $184,000 pay in 2023 in line with state information, was positioned on go away instantly after the primary trial led to mistrial and was fired in March earlier than Learn’s second trial. The MSP trial board discovered him responsible of 4 particular violations of the company’s guidelines of conduct, three of which instantly tied to the Learn investigation.
The findings concluded that his textual content messages have been each “derogatory, defamatory, disparaging, and/or otherwise inappropriate” and infrequently “provided sensitive and/or confidential information … to non-law enforcement personnel.” Additionally they discovered that his “unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” introduced “himself and the Massachusetts State Police into disrepute.”
The ultimate, unrelated discovering was that he drank alcohol whereas on obligation and drove his cruiser afterward.
Proctor’s lawyer instantly vowed to attraction the discharge by the Civil Service Fee. The attraction is ongoing, with the following listening to scheduled for later this month.
Proctor’s household additionally launched an announcement that they have been “truly disappointed with the trial board’s decision” and that “the messages prove one thing, and that Michael is human — not corrupt, not incompetent in his role as a homicide detective, and certainly not unfit to continue to be a Massachusetts State Trooper.”
Likewise, State Police Affiliation of Massachusetts President Brian Williams issued an announcement that “the department decided to “sacrifice Trooper Proctor to appease the media.”
Learn was finally acquitted of homicide however jurors did convict her of drunken driving.
Herald editor Joe Dwinell contributed to this report.
Tim O’Connor/Boston Herald
Ex-Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor returned to court docket, briefly, Tuesday. (Tim O’Connor/Boston Herald)
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