`Misconduct Proliferation' Acknowledged by State Police

Sam Drysdale |SHNS

The Massachusetts State Police
"clearly has a misconduct proliferation problem," its leader said on
Sunday, responding to a volley of questions about recent scandals at the
agency.

Those issues began
"obviously before I got here, and will continue and has continued
through my time here, and I believe that's why I'm here, to come in and
give a fresh perspective. I don't believe that it's a culture
problem," Colonel Geoffrey Noble said on WCVB's "On the Record."

Noble
was brought on as the superintendent of the State Police in October
2024 after a career in New Jersey State Police, marking the first time
the agency hired a leader from outside its internal ranks. He was
heralded as a reformer and arrived after a series of scandals that
deeply tarnished the agency's reputation, including an overtime pay
scandal uncovered via internal audits, the Karen Read investigation and
the death of academy recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia during a boxing
training exercise at the State Police Academy in New Braintree.

However, headlines have continued about controversies at the agency that have fueled questions about accountability.

Sgt.
Scott Quigley remained on duty for months after allegedly drunk driving
in an unmarked cruiser and crashing into a van in Woburn in 2023, a
collision that killed passenger Angelo Schettino. He pleaded not guilty
and his criminal trial is on track to begin in early 2027. The agency
also came under intense scrutiny after racist, sexist and homophobic
text messages sent by former Trooper Michael Proctor during the Karen
Read investigation became public, ultimately leading to his firing.

Most
recently, the department was again thrust into the spotlight last week
after reports that two off-duty troopers were involved in a violent
altercation at a Quincy bar in June, with one trooper relieved of duty
as the incident remains under investigation.

Following
the most recent news, the News Service asked Noble last week about
ongoing scandals and whether the agency is discussing reforms or
retraining troopers.

"Every
day. Every day, every day," he said. "We understand that the
commonwealth expects the Massachusetts State Police to operate at the
highest levels. We expect the Massachusetts State Police to operate at
the highest level."

The
News Service asked Noble about the ongoing problems following a press
conference in Gov. Maura Healey's office Thursday related to creating a
new license plate honoring the memories of fallen law enforcement
officers. That same day the Essex County District Attorney's Office
released its final report on the investigation into a wrong-way crash in
May that resulted in the death of Massachusetts State Police Trooper
Kevin Trainor.

When
Noble emerged from the press conference to speak to reporters, his
spokesperson said he would only take questions on the DA's report about
the trooper's death.

When
the News Service caught up with him after to ask about reform, Noble
said, "Every single day, we're evaluating our operations, where we're
doing well. We're building off it and enhancing, and where we can do
better, we are learning from it. But that conversation occurs every day
with a great team in place, and I'm very confident that we're continuing
to make significant progress."

A few days later on WCVB's "On the Record," he faced more questions about the issues at the agency.

WCVB
anchor Ed Harding asked about the Quigley case, saying "The allegation
that Quigley was drunk did not come to light until this year. The
victim's family is suing, claiming a police cover-up. Forgive the simple
nature of the question, but was it a cover-up?"

Noble responded that there are multiple ongoing investigations, and he can't comment on the specifics.

"That
said, this is a very serious allegation," he said. "Since I have been
here, I have had zero tolerance for misconduct. I will continue to have
zero tolerance for misconduct."

Since
he started, the agency has been "incorporating internal controls to
monitor and manage our own performance to ensure that we are operating
at the highest standards possible."

Reporters
also asked about the Read investigation. A recent lawsuit cites a
series of audio messages where Proctor used derogatory slurs for Black
people, demeans women and makes homophobic and antisemitic comments.

WCVB
played an audio message for Noble, attributed to Proctor, which the
Read lawsuit alleges Proctor said to another trooper following a car
crash, "Actually, take your time, I saw a [expletive] was involved, so I
wouldn't rush if you're working. Let them die."

"You've
called the messages disturbing. Now, how can people trust what happened
here isn't happening with other troopers?" reporter Karen Anderson
asked.

"Well, first, I
have been a state trooper essentially my entire life. That recording
and the messages that we have seen are just repulsive and repugnant for
me on a very personal level," Noble responded. "That said, as the
colonel of the state police, that seeing them comes with a reality and a
reminder of the obligation that I have and this department has to
continue to do everything that we can do to ensure that that type of
behavior, that type of bigotry, does not exist in a modern-day police
force."

Proctor had
worked on "hundreds and if not thousands of cases" Noble said, so he
said the agency has been proactive in working with district attorneys to
"be out front on this" in "reviewing our cases" that Proctor was
involved with, which might now be challenged in light of his alleged
comments.

Noble
delayed the start of the 93rd recruit training class at the New
Braintree State Police Academy following the death of trainee Enrique
Delgado Garcia in 2024. He said the pause allows the agency to implement
103 safety reforms recommended after the deadly incident.

Asked
Sunday about the timeline for a new training class, Noble said the
agency has identified 31 priority recommendations "to ensure that before
we start the next class that we have the safest training environment
possible."

"I'm
very confident that we will be able to give the green light to start
the 93rd training academy in short order. I'm not there yet. I won't do
so until I'm confident those 31 recommendations are in place. That said,
I'm very confident that we will be able to get there very soon," he
said.

Sam Drysdale is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts.