By Jenn Abelson, The Boston Globe (Massachussets)
Less than three weeks after he suspended more than 10 percent of the police department, Stoughton Town Manager Mark Stankiewicz has reinstated the officers, who face allegations of misconduct, and the town’s selectmen began negotiations last night to reinstall the demoted police chief.
Stankiewicz said the selectmen directed him to bring back the seven suspended officers on Monday, including the former chief, Manuel Cachopa.
Late last month, when he placed six of the officers on administrative leave, Stankiewicz called them an “impediment” to the misconduct investigation, which was being conducted by a special prosecutor appointed by the Norfolk district attorney’s office.
The police department has been at the center of a controversy that prompted residents on Election Day to overwhelmingly vote out two selectmen who had voted in June to demote Cachopa.
The recall effort put two new members on the five-member board, which unanimously backed reinstating the suspended officers, according to Selectman Joseph Pascarelli, who is also a police officer in the Stoughton department. Pascarelli said no formal vote was taken on the issue.
The two new members of the board had vowed to bring back the officers.
One of the new members, Selectman John Kowalczyk, said reinstalling the officers was “the right thing to do.”
“No charges have been filed. There’s been nothing but innuendo at this point,” he said. “Quite frankly, I think they should be back working.”
In a closed-door meeting last night, Kowalcyzk said, the board made progress on negotiations to elevate Cachopa and expects to come to a resolution soon. There are several obstacles to overcome, including a lawsuit Cachopa filed against the town and Joseph Saccardo, who was appointed chief shortly before Election Day.
The reinstatements were a “directive of the board,” said Stankiewicz, who is appointed by the Board of Selectmen.
Some residents and officials in the Police Department and Town Hall praised the reinstatements as a good step toward healing the community.
Others criticized the move as potentially compromising the misconduct investigation, which includes a grand jury that has been taking testimony from alleged misconduct victims.
The Stoughton selectmen had advised the Norfolk district attorney’s office about the plan to lift the suspensions unless more information about the grand jury probe was made available by Nov. 12, according to Kowalczyk.
George Jabour, the special prosecutor, declined to comment.
Three people have said they testified before the grand jury and were questioned about allegations that the officers harassed and falsely arrested residents and business owners in town.