By Colleen Cronin
Boston Herald
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Two unions representing North Andover Police officers passed a vote of no confidence in Chief Charles Gray, citing the outcome of Kelsey Fitzsimmons’ assault trial in a statement issued Wednesday.
The joint statement from the North Andover Patrol Officers and Sergeants unions, NEPBA Local 2A and 2B, noted that nearly all union members participated with over 90% voicing a lack of confidence in Gray.
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“We can no longer remain silent while operating under a toxic culture of vindictiveness and professional stagnation,” the unions wrote. “This vote is not about wages, benefits or other traditional labor issues – it is the unavoidable consequence of years of failed leadership, no leadership, and outright inaction.”
The unions’ two sticking points were a failure of the department to implement body-worn cameras or an officer-involved shooting policy — initiatives that had been heavily researched and supported by their members, the statement said.
The Fitzsimmons case, which ended in a not guilty verdict, was only one example of “leadership failures,” the unions said.
Fitzsimmons, an off-duty North Andover police officer, was shot by her colleague while being served a restraining order to stay away from her fiancé and her infant son.
Officer Pat Noonan claimed that Fitzsimmons fired at him, but the chamber was empty, while Fitzsimmons told the court she’d been trying to kill herself and never pointed the weapon at Noonan.
A judge found that without body camera footage from the incident and only Noonan’s testimony against Fitzsimmons’ testimony, he had reasonable doubt and could not find the defendant guilty.
“Despite the credible testimony of several witnesses, including Officer Pat Noonan , corroborated by physical evidence, the Department’s failure to implement body cameras was held up as an evidentiary void that negatively impacted the outcome of this case, our members and our town,” the unions said.
In addition to the Fitzsimmons case, the statement also pointed to a 2024 incident when an officer was injured in a shooting, while a proposed officer-involved shooting policy “sat unapproved for more than a year because it was deemed by the Chief to be ‘too wordy.’ ”
The Herald reached out to Gray for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
The unions said the vote against him reflected low morale and “broken trust.”
“We have exhausted all avenues for reform through audits, reviews, and personnel changes. The problem remains the appointed leadership,” the unions wrote. “On behalf of the officers who continue to serve North Andover with pride despite these conditions, we call for the immediate removal of Charles P. Gray as Chief of Police.”
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