Crime

Mass. police reform commission suspends 15 officers

The list includes officers from many major cities including Fall River, Springfield, Lowell, Somerville, and Holyoke. One State Police officer was also suspended.

By Susannah Sudborough

January 3, 2023

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The Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST Commission) suspended the certifications of 15 Massachusetts police officers, the commission announced Tuesday.

The POST Commission’s list of suspended officers indicates that all the officers were suspended because they were arrested for, charged with, or indicted for a felony. The law which created the commission requires it to suspend all such officers.

The list includes officers from many major Massachusetts cities, including Fall River, Springfield, Fitchburg, Lowell, Somerville, Woburn, Watertown, and Holyoke. One State Police officer was also suspended.

Enrique Zuniga, the POST Commission’s executive director, said in a news release that the list of suspended officers will be updated as those officers have charges dismissed or are found guilty or not guilty.

“We continue to make progress to meet the directives of the statute and add information to the database that is of great public interest,” he said in the release.

Here is the list of officers:

• Devon Bones, Holyoke Police Department
• Bryan Custadio, Fall River Police Department
• Leon Davis, Springfield Police Department
• Ernest Fontaine, Fitchburg State University Police Department
• David Forte, Needham Police Department
• Kevin Garneau, Lowell Police Department
• Nicholas Hoar, Fall River Police Department
• Tomas Morales, Woburn Police Department
• Keith O’Donnell, Somerville Police Department
• Brian Pomeroy, West Springfield Police Department
• Joseph Ponzo, Stoneham Police Department
• James Quilty, Natick Police Department
• Kevin Rooney, Watertown Police Department
• Matthew Sheehan, Massachusetts State Police
• Colby Turner, Worcester Police Department

The POST Commission was created in 2020 to improve policing standards and public safety as part of a criminal reform bill, but has been controversial and faced legal challenges since its creation.

The commission’s responsibilities include creating a mandatory certification process for police officers, as well as processes for decertification, suspension of certification, and determining punishments for misconduct.

Last month, the commission released a database of certified officers and certified new police academy graduates.