Mass law enforcement misconduct news, Mar. 23-29 (and goodbye, Lexie)

On Sunday, I had to say goodbye to a dear friend.

RIP Lexie Andromeda, you were such a good dog.

My partner gave Lexie her second name Andromeda, Anne for short, because one of her eyes was both blue and brown. The colors reminded my partner of outer space.

Lexie was my partner’s dog, but I loved being with her. When I first met Lexie a few years ago, she had the most delightful reaction to being fed. She would jump for joy, literally several feet into the air. It seemed impossible for such a small dog to jump so high, especially since she was never able to figure out how to maneuver her diminutive body on stairs. It was like the thought of food was a power-up that temporarily transformed her into a character from a Super Mario Bros. game. Isn’t it wonderful that something so mundane and routine could trigger such glee? Even though we modern humans live with a 24/7 barrage of bad news that’s beamed into our brains by social media, it’s impossible not to be uplifted when you see such a beautiful creature that’s so happy just living.

Lexie was also fond of performing her “shovel head” routine, digging her face into my partner’s side when she wanted attention.

Mostly she just liked to relax.

Lexie almost always had what looked like a concerned expression even when nothing in particular was happening—I dubbed it her Resting Concern Face. But she was a happy dog. She even seemed happy during the last month of her life, when her health rapidly declined and she was really struggling.

Lexie, you were such a gentle, sweet dog. You deserved more years of life than you got. I will miss you. 💔

Law-enforcement misconduct news

Here are the media reports of alleged law enforcement misconduct in Massachusetts that I’ve tracked during the last week.

Stories involving federal law enforcement

• “In a move ACLU lawyers have called ‘extraordinary, unprecedented, and contrary to the public interest,’ the federal government has moved to conceal the identity of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused in a lawsuit of strangling a Fitchburg man unconscious in November.” (Telegram & Gazette; paywalled)
• “A Chelsea, Massachusetts mother was detained by ICE in September of 2025 despite [having a green card]. Her daughter, 18-year-old Ana Michelle Ramirez Sanan, told her story to a Senate committee on [March 18] … Lawmakers listened as Ramirez Sanan told of witnessing her mother, Hilda Ramirez Sanan, being thrown to the ground by ICE agents.” (WBZ)

Stories involving state and local law enforcement

The latest on the State Police cover-up

• “A legal letter sent to State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble alleges a ‘coordinated effort’ by the Massachusetts State Police to protect one of their own [Sergeant Scott Quigley]. It goes on to demand a ‘truly independent’ investigation into the 2023 crash that took the life of a man with special needs.” (Boston 25 News)
• “The Supreme Judicial Court overturned a decision to grant bail for three brothers accused of murder in Lowell whose trial has been delayed twice after allegations emerged about one of the lead Mass State Police investigators on their case.” (Boston Herald)
• “A State Police sergeant was indicted on a motor vehicle homicide charge [March 26] after prosecutors say he was driving drunk when he caused a 2023 crash that killed a man in Woburn. Sgt. Scott Quigley was driving negligently and under the influence when his unmarked State Police cruiser crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a van that was ferrying Angelo Schettino back to his group home in Lynn on Dec. 12, 2023, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office alleged.” (Boston.com)

More misconduct allegations

• “A Framingham Police Department investigation found in February that two former police officers unlawfully possessed cocaine and tested positive for drugs, according to public records. One of the officers did not cooperate with the investigation, the records say.” (Mass Dump)
• “The state commission that certifies cops refused to lift its suspension of Brockton School Police Officer Darnell Campbell, who is accused of faking timesheets.” (Enterprise; paywalled)
• “A couple whose children were removed from their Waltham home in the middle of the night have cleared a legal hurdle in their federal lawsuit against the senior-level Massachusetts Department of Children and Families employees who made the emergency decision without seeking judicial approval. … The federal judge allowed several Waltham police officers and other DCF employees to be removed from the lawsuit under qualified immunity, saying they were just carrying out their duties when they showed up at the Waltham home.” (NBC10 Boston)

• “An attorney for a suspended East Longmeadow police officer has indicated a lawsuit is possible, arguing the patrolman was penalized after exposing inflated salaries. Officer Alex J. Serra was placed on paid leave for the town after sounding an alarm to state law enforcement watchdogs about two sergeants who erroneously received extra educational pay without having the required degrees.” (Republican)
• “Authorities have charged a Plymouth police officer who was placed on leave last week amid allegations of sexual abuse, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office said [March 26]. Officer Samantha Pelrine and her husband, Daniel Forand, were arrested at their home.” (Boston.com)
• “A Massachusetts State Police trooper was arrested and charged for allegedly driving drunk [March 22] in Boston. State police confirm Donovan Preston was relieved of duty and say he will be subject to a department discipline process.” (NBC10 Boston)
• “Kelsey Fitzsimmons, the former North Andover police officer accused of pointing a gun at a fellow officer, was acquitted [March 26] after a four-day trial. … Fitzsimmons said she pointed the gun at herself, not an officer. One of the responding officers then shot Fitzsimmons, and she was rushed to a hospital in Boston.” (NBC10 Boston)
• “Families of two of the teens who died in a rollover crash on Morrissey Boulevard early on Jan. 4, 2024 have sued the city and three Boston Police officers they charge continued pursuing the car at high speed after after disregarding an order by a supervisor to stop the chase under a longstanding BPD rule against high-speed chases.” (Universal Hub)
• “Mayor Paul Coogan has allowed the application of a Fall River Police Department warrant to identify a Facebook critic to stand, despite a vote from the City Council calling on the city to investigate the matter.” (Herald News) “The highly questionable Fall River Police Department search warrant used to get the name and address of a fake Facebook user has lead to a questionable legal opinion by Fall River Corporation Counsel lawyer Alan Rumsey.” (Fall River Reporter)
• “The Massachusetts Supervisor of Records has issued a ruling in a 4-month transparency battle. The Lowell Police Department has been ordered to turn over internal reports and documents concerning a former officer [Dylan DaSilva] and his alleged relationship with a vulnerable teenager. The decision, handed down by the Secretary of State’s office, marks a victory for accountability following a persistent push by 25 Investigates.” (Boston 25 News)

Other News

Ballot questions would increase transparency on Beacon Hill, reform how lawmakers are paid (New Bedford Light)

Advocates for increased transparency in the state Legislature are turning to voters in November with two potential ballot measures — to rework how legislators are paid and to apply public records laws to the Legislature and the governor’s office. 

Asking the Legislature to support changes to its procedures has proven an uphill battle, leading to tense hearings and prickly exchanges [in March]. 

Multiple New Bedford lawmakers told The Light they support reforming the public records law but disagreed with adjusting legislators’ leadership pay — a sentiment echoed by legislators across the state. 

Some Massachusetts towns demanding legislature comply with audit law (Boston Herald)

Massachusetts cities and towns are weighing whether to follow a local select board’s lead in sending a letter to Beacon Hill demanding that the legislative audit be enforced, with some in favor and others opposed.

There has been a ripple effect across the Bay State after the Reading Select Board voted to send a letter to House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, demanding the top Democrats open their books.

Transphobic comments could sink Moulton’s Senate run (Intercerpt)

Days after Donald Trump won his second election to the White House, Democrats flocked to the New York Times to blame their stunning electoral defeat on alleged capitulations to minority groups — and cement themselves as the future leaders of the party. 

Few appeared more eager than Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a moderate congressman and former presidential candidate with a reputation for bucking party leadership. 

“Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone,” Moulton lamented to the paper. “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that.” 

That was over a year ago. Now, Moulton is running to unseat one of the most progressive members of the Senate, in the bluest state in the country, on a platform of generational change. And the anti-trans comments he’d hoped would establish him as a thought leader could help tank his campaign. 

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