15 Mass. police officers suspended by POST Commission

The state agency tasked with regulating law enforcement in Massachusetts suspended 15 police officers in the state, including Worcester Police Departments Colby Turner, who is accused of stealing $45,000 of off-duty assignment pay for details he did not work, and Springfield Police Departments Leon Davis.

The officers were part of the first cohort of personnel to go through a new state certification process run by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. The commission recertified over 8,000 officers with last names starting with A-H and another 1,000-plus who graduated from academies since Dec. 1, 2021.Read more: Nearly 60 officers denied recertification by Mass. police licensing agency

But the suspensions are some of the first of their kind in the state. POST Commission Executive Director Enrique Zuniga said the agency continues to make progress to meet requirements set out under a 2020 police reform law passed in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

POST will suspend the certification of an officer who is arrested, charged or indicted of a felony and will revoke the certification of an officer who is convicted of a felony, Zuniga said in a statement. The list of suspended officers will be updated periodically as these cases evolve and/or get resolved.

The suspended officers are Devon Bones of Holyoke Police Department, Bryan Custadio of Fall River Police Department, Ernest Fontaine of Fitchburg State University Police Department, David Forte of Needham Police Department, Kevin Garneau of Lowell Police Department, Nicholas Hoar of Fall River Police Department, Tomas Morales of Woburn Police Department, Keith ODonnell of Somerville Police Department, Brian Pomeroy of West Springfield Police Department, Joseph Ponzo of Stoneham Police Department, James Quilty of Natick Police Department, Kevin Rooney of Watertown Police Department, and Matthew Sheehan of the Massachusetts State Police.Read more: Greenfield police chief downgraded to conditionally recertified by state

Worcesters Turner, a five-year veteran of the department, was charged with five counts of larceny of over $1,200 and a misdemeanor count of submitting false claims of reimbursement in August.

In November, an attorney for Turner claimed the officers arrest on larceny charges was in retaliation for Turner reporting departmental improprieties, according to court documents. The attorney, Hank Brennan, also claimed that Turner became aware someone was manipulating his detail records.

Springfields Davis was charged in January 2021 with assaulting a pregnant woman by repeatedly using a stun gun as she was on the floor of a hotel room during an arrest.

Officers who have their certification suspended by the POST Commission can request a hearing before a commissioner within 15 days. The suspension order is in effect until the commission makes a final decision, according to a spokesperson.Read more: There really is no tension: Massachusetts police commission weighs clarity of force regulations, focuses on mental health crisis situations

The commission is required to suspend the certification of any officer who is arrested, charged, or indicted for a felony, according to state law.

Suspensions can also be issued for an officer who does not complete in-service training requirements within 90 days of notice.

POST will reinstate the officers certification upon documented completion of in-service training, the commission said in a press release.

At a meeting in mid-December, Zuniga reported that 251 officers had not received their law enforcement license recertification, and 14 officers had been suspended. That was out of a total of over 9,000 officers.Read more: Heres how many police officers were denied recertification in Massachusetts through the states law enforcement licensing commission

Another 14 officers were listed under potential inquiry/hearing, according to a presentation from the meeting.

Upon the decision to suspend an officer, the presentation said, the POST Commission notifies the officer, the head of their bargaining unit, the head of the agency, and the district of the jurisdiction.

The commission maintains a list of recertified and decertified officers on its website.