Somerville Police Officer 1 of 15 Suspended By MA POST Commission

BOSTON, MA — Somerville Police Department Officer Keith O'Donnell was included Tuesday on a list of 15 officers from around the state who have had their certification suspended by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.

According to a release announcing the suspensions, the POST Commission is "required to immediately suspend the certification of any officer who is arrested, charged or indicted for a felony pursuant to M.G.L. c. 6E, § 9(a)(1)."

The Commission also may initiate a preliminary inquiry into the conduct of an officer who is arrested, charged or indicted for a misdemeanor, and can administratively suspend the certification of an officer who fails to complete in-service training requirements within 90 days of notice

In the "Data and Reports" section of the POST Commission website, the law enforcement officers suspended on Jan. 3 all have the "Reason for Suspension" listed as M.G.L. c. 6E, § 9(a)(1).

According to malegislature.gov, Section 9. (a)(1) states: "The commission shall immediately suspend the certification of any officer who is arrested, charged or indicted for a felony."

Cindy Campbell, director of communications for the POST Commission, said the organization would not provide specific information about why each of the 15 officers was suspended.

"As the January 3 list stipulates, the officers are suspended because they have either been arrested, charged or indicted for a felony," Campbell wrote in an email to Patch. "At this time, we cannot provide details beyond what is on our website."

Patch made repeated attempts to contact the Somerville Police Department, but had not yet received a response from the SPD.

According to the POST Commission, the organization was established as part of the 2020 criminal justice reform law to focus on efforts to improve public safety and increase trust between members of law enforcement and the public.

The Commission is charged with creating a mandatory certification process for police officers, along with a process for decertification, suspension of certification, or reprimand in the event of certain misconduct, the organization said.

A law enforcement officer whose certification is suspended can request a hearing before a commissioner within 15 days, according to the Commission. The suspension remains in effect until a final decision or revocation is made by the Commission.