Local News

Here’s how many officers have now been suspended as part of police reform in Mass.

New suspensions include two Boston police officers tied to an overtime pay scandal and a Lawrence officer found guilty of rape.

By Abby Patkin

February 2, 2023

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Email
• 4

Four more Massachusetts police officers have been added to the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission’s list of suspensions, the commission announced Tuesday.

The recent additions bring the total number of suspended officers on the commission’s list up to 19. Last month, the commission shared the names of 15 officers whose certifications it had suspended.

According to the POST Commission, all the officers included on the list were suspended under a state law that calls on the commission to suspend officers who are arrested, charged, or indicted for a felony. 

The suspensions are in effect until the POST Commission makes a final decision or revocation, and officers who are convicted of a felony will see their certification revoked, the commission said in a news release. 

The new additions include Boston police officers Michael Murphy and Kendra Conway, who were tied to an overtime pay scandal within the department. 

Iancy Gonzalez of the Salem Police Department was charged with felony larceny and accused of taking part in a money order fraud scheme, according to The Salem News, which reported in October 2022 that Gonzalez had since resigned. 

According to The Boston Globe, Lawrence police officer Carlos Vieira was sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison last November after he was found guilty of raping a 13-year-old boy in 2018.

Established under a landmark police reform law in 2020, the POST Commission was tasked with creating a mandatory certification process for police officers in Massachusetts. Its responsibilities also include creating processes for decertification, suspension of certification, and determining punishments for certain misconduct.

Enrique Zuniga, the POST Commission’s executive director, said in the news release that the commission “has been working diligently to meet statutory obligations and deadlines while building our new agency.”

Zuniga added: “We have now established a regular cadence of releasing updated law enforcement officer status information, and the public can now expect updates at the beginning of every month.”