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State Police Chief Questioned About Investigation of Trooper Proctor – Boston 25 News

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BOSTON – Acting Massachusetts State Police Colonel John Mawn condemned comments Trooper Michael Proctor made about Karen Read after he was assigned to investigate the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe.

( Will Trooper Proctor be called as a witness again when the Karen Read murder case is retried? )

“I want to be very clear: misconduct in any form will not be tolerated in the Massachusetts State Police,” Mawn told reporters after speaking at a Fourth of July safety event in Boston. “I condemn these comments in the strongest possible terms. They do not reflect the Massachusetts State Police and that is not what we want as an organization.”

Proctor came under fire for a series of derogatory text messages about Read that he sent to friends, family and his superiors and read aloud in court during her trial. Proctor admitted on the witness stand that the text messages were “unprofessional,” apologized several times and told the jury that his text messages had no impact on the investigation.

On Monday, Judge Beverly Cannone declared the two-month-long murder trial not ready for trial due to a jury deadlock and declared it void. Mawn then announced that Proctor had been relieved of his duties.

“We followed the criminal case to get as much information as possible that might impact members of the Massachusetts State Police and their conduct,” Mawn said when asked about the Proctor decision. “We wanted to make sure we had all of that before we made a decision.”

According to Mawn, an internal investigation into Trooper Proctor’s alleged misconduct is underway. Proctor will also face a status hearing where officials will decide how to proceed with his employment.

Mawn noted that over the past 16 months, his department has examined areas for improvement, including community trust, diversity, culture, training, leadership and outreach.

“We need to look in the mirror and be hyper-focused on being professional,” Mawn said. “We need to work very hard to engage the public in a more meaningful way so that we understand what we need to do and where we want to go to maintain trust, build trust and, in some cases, regain trust.”

Mawn said his department will monitor the second Read trial for possible new developments in Proctor’s internal investigation.

Boston 25 has learned that Trooper Proctor’s last day of work at the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office will be July 7. This is due to a collective bargaining agreement that requires five days’ notice for any changes in assignment.

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