A former Canton police sergeant who testified in the high-profile Karen Read murder trial has had his Massachusetts law enforcement certification suspended by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission. The decision comes after derogatory text messages he allegedly sent were included in a civil lawsuit filed by Read against Canton police and Massachusetts State Police.
Background
Sean Goode, the former sergeant, recently resigned amid an internal affairs investigation. He had refused to appear for an internal affairs interview and faced potential termination. Without a POST Commission certification, Goode cannot serve as a law enforcement official in Massachusetts.
The Canton Police Department came under intense scrutiny as the Karen Read murder case unfolded in court. Goode testified at trial, and Read was ultimately found not guilty of murder following her second trial. This month, Read released a slew of prejudiced text messages allegedly sent by Goode and lead case investigator Michael Proctor as part of a civil lawsuit alleging a “culture of bias and corruption” among the officers who investigated her.
Investigation and Response
The town of Canton has stressed that it still does not have the messages allegedly sent by Goode, which were shared under court order with an outside investigator. The outside investigator and a union lawyer for Goode had to review more than 200,000 text messages and voice notes that date back over a decade. Goode refused to appear for an interview in the internal affairs investigation, leading to the initiation of termination proceedings.
The town has noted that its finalized internal affairs report will be released, with necessary redactions, as well as submitted to the POST Commission. The town pushed back against claims that it didn’t take Goode’s alleged actions seriously, stating that it promptly removed Sgt. Goode from the workplace, retained an independent investigator, and pursued appropriate personnel action based on the information available throughout the investigative process.
Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.
