A Massachusetts State Police trooper has been suspended after an internal investigation concluded he repeatedly targeted a young woman, according to reporting that surfaced Saturday. The finding puts the trooper's career in the hands of a disciplinary process that has, in recent years, ended in everything from unpaid suspensions to outright termination for other troopers accused of misconduct.
Chief Investigator Breaks Down the Findings
The case was reported by CBS News, whose chief investigator Cheryl Fiandaca detailed how the Massachusetts State Police conducted an internal investigation into the trooper's conduct. That inquiry determined he had repeatedly targeted a young woman, leading to his suspension. Fiandaca has covered the department's internal affairs process before; in August 2023 she reported that an off-duty trooper recorded fighting with women outside a Boston nightclub was allowed to return to work after serving a two-year unpaid suspension.
Details on the exact nature of the harassment, the timeline of the internal probe, or the length of the current suspension were not included in the available reporting. What is clear is that the trooper has been removed from his prior duty status while the department's review plays out.
How Massachusetts Disciplines Its Troopers
Internal discipline for state troopers in Massachusetts follows a defined process. Under Article 6.2 of Massachusetts State Police regulations, a division commander can convene a duty status hearing with the colonel's approval following an internal inquiry, a step that can result in a trooper being kept on full duty, placed on restricted duty, or suspended with or without pay, according to Justia Law.
That internal track runs alongside a separate, statewide layer of oversight. Under Chapter 6E of the Massachusetts General Laws, enacted in 2020, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission holds independent authority to suspend or revoke an officer's certification anywhere in the state, apart from whatever discipline a department imposes on its own, per Mass.gov. The commission has used that power aggressively in recent months; in March, it issued an emergency administrative suspension order against an MSP sergeant following a felony motor vehicle homicide indictment, as reported by Boston 25 News.
A Pattern of Scrutiny Inside the Ranks
This suspension lands amid a stretch of heightened accountability actions across the Massachusetts State Police. Hoodline previously reported that a Palmer-based trooper was benched following a bobcat-related dispute with a contractor, part of a similar internal inquiry and certification process. In January, another trooper was benched and held without bail after being charged with assault and kidnapping involving an intimate partner in Plymouth, and by April that same suspended trooper faced new charges for unlawful wiretapping and violating a protective order while still off the payroll.
The department's discipline system has also produced its most consequential outcome to date in the case of lead investigator Michael Proctor, terminated in March 2025 after a trial board found him guilty of unbecoming conduct, including sending vulgar and disparaging text messages, a case tied to the high-profile Karen Read murder trial. Separately, an ex-trooper's sex assault charges were dropped just weeks ago, following his own administrative suspension and internal review.
Broader Questions About Workplace Culture
The department's handling of complaints involving women has drawn scrutiny beyond individual disciplinary cases. In November, a Suffolk County jury awarded more than $6.8 million in damages against the Massachusetts State Police after finding systemic workplace discrimination against female and minority officers seeking advancement, a verdict that underscored longstanding concerns about the agency's internal culture.
Public disciplinary data from December indicated the department averages a 37-day resolution window for internal affairs cases once an investigation concludes, according to Boston 25 News. Under an August 2025 state policy, the Massachusetts Attorney General's office also now requires prosecutors to examine POST Commission records and internal affairs portals when evaluating potential impeachment material tied to law enforcement witnesses, a rule that means findings like the one against this trooper could eventually surface in unrelated court proceedings, per Mass.gov.
No further details about the suspended trooper's identity, the length of his suspension, or whether the case will move to a POST Commission certification review have been made public. The Massachusetts State Police has not released additional information beyond confirming that the internal investigation led to the suspension.
