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Massachusetts State Police relieve Trooper Michael Proctor of duty and formally transfer him

Published

3 months ago

July 1, 2024

Ken Paiva

Massachusetts State Police Colonel John Mawn has issued a statement following the mistrial in Commonwealth v. Karen Read.

“Following the mistrial in Commonwealth v. Karen Read, the Massachusetts State Police would like to offer our condolences again to the family of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. We cannot imagine the way in which this result has heightened the O’Keefe family’s immeasurable grief, heartache, and sense of loss. John lived a life of honorable service – both to the City of Boston and the children entrusted to his care after the unexpected death of his sister and brother-in-law. We will remember him.

“Upon learning today’s result, the Department took immediate action to relieve Trooper Michael Proctor of duty and formally transfer him out of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective’s Unit. This follows our previous decision to open an internal affairs investigation after information about serious misconduct emerged in testimony at the trial. This investigation is ongoing.

“Our focus remains on delivering the highest level of police services with professionalism and integrity.” – Colonel Mawn

The Department has relieved Trooper Proctor of duty effective immediately. He will also be transferred from the Detective Unit assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office (NCDAO) effective Sunday, July 7, 2024.

The collective bargaining agreement requires a 5-day notice for any change of assignment (shift, functional role, etc.). For this reason, the effective date of Trooper Proctor’s transfer from NCDAO is effective on the first possible day, Sunday, July 7, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties.

In any State Police discipline process, the trooper is subject to a duty status hearing where they will be retained on full duty, placed on restricted duty, suspended with pay, or suspended without pay.

Although Trooper Proctor is still employed by the Department, the decision to relieve him of duty means that he can no longer work cases or function as a trooper during this time.

Proctor was the lead investigator and gained notoriety for his text message chain concerning Karen Read where he stated, “she’s a whack job c***, yes she’s a babe, weird Fall River accent though, no ass.” He also acknowledged that he texted his sister that he hoped Read took her own life.