Former Massachusetts police officer decertified after role in fatal Charlottesville rally

A former Massachusetts police officer is no longer able to be an officer in the Bay State after agreeing to be decertified.

Last month, former Woburn Officer John Donnelly entered into a Voluntary Decertification Agreement under which he agreed to the revocation of his certification as a law enforcement officer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the entry of his decertification in the National Decertification Index.

A Woburn Police Department internal affairs investigation in October found former Officer John Donnelly violated multiple department policies through involvement in extremist groups, culminating in his work attending and helping to plan the so-called “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.

The findings of the internal affairs investigation was submitted to the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission with the recommendation that Donnelly be de-certified and be no longer eligible to work as a police officer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The investigation, conducted by Detective Lieutenant Brian McManus, found the following:

• Donnelly went under the alias Johnny O’Malley in person and online.
• Donnelly did indeed attend, help plan and provide security for leadership of the Charlottesville event.
• Donnelly was found to associate himself with Identity Evropa, described by the Anti-Defamation League as “a white supremacist group focused on the preservation of ‘white American culture” and promoting white European identity” that recruited largely on college campuses. The group changed its name to the American Identity Movement after the Charlottesville rally and later disbanded.
• Donnelly used racist and antisemitic language.
• Donnelly was seen in photographs as part of the security detail for Richard Spencer, described by the ADL as a white nationalist alt-right leader who was a promoter and scheduled speaker at the Charlottesville event.

Based on the findings, the internal affairs investigation found that Donnelly violated a number of Woburn Police Department Rules and Regulations including policies governing Membership in Organizations, Outside Employment, Conduct Unbecoming and Officer and Improper Associations, as well as violations of the Woburn Police Department Social Media Policy.

PD stated that Donnelly refused to be interviewed by Detective Lieutenant McManus.

Donnelly resigned from the Woburn Police Department shortly before the investigation details were released.