The scandal-scarred Massachusetts State Police is beyond repair and needs to be dissolved and replaced with a modern, civilian-led force that’s fully accountable to the public.
Gov. Maura Healey can do it but probably won’t, relying instead on lawyers and police officials to reform from within.
She can’t just have an “independent” lawyer put together milquetoast recommendations or a few firings whenever there’s a crisis or scandal.
Healey is too wedded to the state police, having worked over them for years as attorney general. She may not have the stomach to eliminate the MSP force as we know it.
She has admitted to not even watching video of the boxing training that led to the death of recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia.
The Democratic governor just appointed the new head of the state police, Geoffrey Noble, to conduct an “independent” review of all academy training programs.
So eliminating the state police is probably not on her agenda anytime soon.
But there is precedent for such action.
The inept Boston Municipal Police, which patrolled municipal buildings and parks, was dissolved and folded into the Boston Police in 2007. The old Capitol Police and Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) police that patrolled the halls of the Statehouse is long gone, replaced by state troopers in 1992.
Remember the old Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Police? It was formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2004, replaced by contracted security guards.
There was even a Massachusetts Parking Authority Police, which was disbanded in 1982.
Now the MSP, ridiculed for recent scandals, needs a blueprint for a new way forward, built for the 21st century..
It should be led by competent civilians, not the same hacks promoted from within or poached from other state police that have led the MSP for decades.
Healey’s reaction to the death of Delgado-Garcia does not bode well for real reform.
She has resisted calls for a federal investigation of the recruit’s tragic death, saying she wants to wait for the results of an independent probe called for by the state Attorney General.
“As governor, I’m committed to making sure we have a full understanding of what exactly happened and that we have clearly communicate with the public on that,” Healey said. “My heart goes out to Enrique and his family and all those too who witnessed his death. It happened at the Academy and there were a number of people there who witnessed that, it’s just a really hard situation, horrible and not something you ever, ever want to see.”
There’s no indication that Healey or other state officials have watched the video, and it has not been released to the public.
Healey said she will leave it to the lawyer appointed to investigate the case, David Meier, to determine whether to release the video.
“She hopes that the video will be released,” a Healey spokesperson said. “That determination will be made by the independent investigator.”
