Dozens of instructors at Massachusetts police academies have serious complaints against them, investigation shows

    BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) -- There are questions about who is training new police officers after a WBZ-TV investigation found serious complaints against dozens of instructors at police academies in Massachusetts.

46 police instructors disciplined

WBZ obtained the full list of 2,492 police officers who are certified instructors for the various police academies run by the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC) in Massachusetts. Of those, 46 have been disciplined at their various local police departments for serious sustained complaints against them that violate the MPTC's code of conduct. Three had their MPTC instructor certifications suspended since the investigation began. One had their instructor certification reinstated after an appeal.

According to MPTC's 2023 and 2024 codes of conduct, instructors must remain in good standing or face having their certification suspended or revoked. The code of conduct states the following:

"Good standing with their employer [...] shall mean that the certified instructor has never:

- received a significant disciplinary sanction {resulting in a suspension for more than five (5) days without pay; or - received a reduction in rank due to the imposition of a disciplinary sanction; or - received a suspension for the use of excessive force; or - received a suspension for a civil rights violation; or - been the subject of a sustained domestic violence complaint; or - been the subject of a sustained complaint for a criminal charge; or - been the subject of action by POST that caused police certification to suspended or revoked"

Among the 46 instructors in violation of the code of conduct, WBZ found officers accused of falsifying time sheets, others involved in alleged domestic violence and alleged off-duty assault and battery. One officer was arrested and then arrested again for violating a restraining order against the same victim. Another officer was accused of illegal drug use and another was accused of drinking alcohol before their shift. WBZ found yet another officer who was disciplined for using a police information system to conduct searches on seven people unrelated to his police work.

All of these sustained complaints were found on the public complaint database provided by the state's police oversight body, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST).

TV news investigations

WBZ found officers who were already the subject of news stories related to their alleged conduct. One of them is Salem State University Interim Captain Stephen Turcotte. Turcotte was the subject of a 2012 WBZ I-Team investigation. Salem State settled the lawsuit against him accusing him of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Turcotte refused to comment at the time.

Another officer is Rehoboth police officer Arthur Beaudoin. Providence, Rhode Island CBS affiliate WPRI-TV did a story on his resignation from the Seekonk Police department after a 2014 internal investigation sustained four criminal conduct counts against him related to a domestic violence incident. Those counts were from an administrative investigation, and he was never criminally charged. Beaudoin could not be reached for comment.

WBZ also discovered a 2023-2024 training video put out by MPTC featuring a demonstration by former Hudson police officer Kevin Johnson. Johnson's certification to be an officer in Massachusetts was suspended by the state in 2023. Court documents show Johnson was arrested for assaulting and kicking a man in the head and pushing his girlfriend. He pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge.

"It starts with a small transgression and that becomes something that's accepted, then it leads to another one and that becomes accepted," said Larry Smith, a former Massachusetts State Police Sergeant and CEO and founder of the Stirm Group which conducts independent internal affairs investigations for law enforcement.

Smith argues that MPTC's issues stem from its leadership under the helm of Executive Director Robert Ferullo, who just retired on July 29.

In recent months, the MPTC academies dealt with other problems. In April, WBZ revealed a Stoneham police officer who resigned from his job for allegedly saying the n-word was an MPTC instructor. The committee ultimately decertified him.

Last summer, WBZ's I-Team learned a cheating investigation was underway at two MPTC academies. Four student officers were disciplined at the time.

Training committee makes changes

A Civil Service Commission report from 2023 also stated that MPTC ignored "numerous yellow flags," regarding training records for former Methuen Police Detective Sean Fountain. Fountain was indicted for acting as a police officer for years after forging a training certificate. The Stirm Group led an external investigation into Fountain's conduct.

"The executive director that is in charge, he was in charge for all of these. You can't continue to have mistake after mistake after mistake," Smith said.

WBZ asked Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey if our investigation merits a closer look into the instructors at MPTC.

"I'm committed to, as a former attorney general, and now as governor, making sure that we have the right personnel and people in place when it comes to all public safety matters," Healey said.

MPTC released a statement to WBZ saying in part:

"The Municipal Police Training Committee remains deeply committed to ensuring that our staff and nearly 2,500 instructors uphold the highest standards of integrity, competence, and professionalism."

The committee said it started a notification process where POST will alert them if an officer is suspended or decertified. It is also now requiring instructors to self-report complaints made against them to MPTC.

WBZ reached out to the various police departments mentioned in this story. Salem State University and Rehoboth Police Department did not return our requests for comment.

A spokesperson for MPTC says it has no knowledge that former Hudson police officer Kevin Johnson was ever an instructor for MPTC.