In a recent turn of events, Timothy Brennan, a former Hopkinton police officer who was suspended and then fired for not reporting child rape allegations against another officer, has had his police certification reinstated by the Massachusetts' Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST). According to NBC Boston, the decision came after Brennan won an appeal on August 30.

Brennan, who had served in Hopkinton from 2002 until his dismissal this February, was accused of failing to act upon allegations involving former Deputy Police Chief John Porter, who was indicted on three counts of child rape from incidents dating back to 2004 and 2005. Brennan's rationale was that the victim, at the time of disclosure, spoke to him not as a police officer, but as a mentor and he urged her to report the assaults while fearing for her safety, yet this accountability, or lack thereof has been scrutinized by many. Despite being fired after an outside investigation, Brennan was hired by the Milford Police Department this July, though his certification's suspension put this new role at risk.

Marsha Kazarosian, the POST commissioner who heard Brennan's appeal stated in her order, "It is therefore not completely out of the realm of reasonable comprehension that Brennan may have reacted to the Victim’s disclosures of the assault as her mentor and confident, and not as a law enforcement officer," as reported by Boston 25 News.

Brennan defended his actions, saying, "In 2017, I did not have a cooperating victim," and that his aim was not inaction but preservation of the victim's trust and willingness to come forward. "I answered phone calls from the survivor. I talked to her. I encouraged her to report it. I encouraged her to continue to seek counseling. I didn’t do nothing," Brennan told Boston 25 News. With his certification restored, Brennan is poised to return to police work in Milford pending the results of his upcoming arbitration in January for his termination from the Hopkinton Police Department.