MORE TROOPER TROUBLE
MCAD probes female staffer’s complaints vs. ex, agency
Investigators are probing allegations a state trooper brought in files of porn, while others pulled a prank with a fake Taser at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in the latest scandal to hit the embattled police force.
A 13-page complaint, filed by a female trooper with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, alleges she was disciplined for the Taser stunt — in which an uncharged stun gun disguised as the real thing was fired at her thenboyfriend, a fellow trooper. She claims male troopers playing along were not properly disciplined for their actions.
An official at MCAD said the commission is “actively investigating” the complaint.
The dispute stems from June 2016 when, the female trooper says, she found “sexually suggestive” photos and videos of naked women — “specifically, their genitalia, breasts and buttocks” showing — on a hard drive a fellow trooper she was dating had brought to work at the academy.
It was organized in folders by body part, and was stored alongside one folder that contained “fully clothed” photos of her, her family and friends, according to the complaint filed in November. The portable hard drive was attached to a state police desktop computer at the New Braintree academy, the complaint states.
When she reported him and ended their relationship, she said, the male trooper was transferred from the academy and given a “letter of counseling,” which she likened to a slap on the wrist.
According to the complaint, the male trooper then mounted a retaliation campaign against her, which included filing a complaint against her for a “prank” she and other troopers played on him the year prior: The female trooper had shot the male trooper with a dummy Taser that appeared to be live, but had a modified cartridge, blunt prongs and non-conductive wires, according to the complaint.
A rumor then began to spread, she alleges, that the female trooper was in a relationship with a retiring superior, with “one or more” state police employees contacting media outlets with the allegations.
The female trooper filed a complaint with then-Col. Richard McKeon, but “rather than acting appropriately as required by law, the State Police retaliated against her,” she said.
The female trooper was removed from the academy, stripped of her Taser and told she would receive a letter of reprimand over her use of the Taser. Male troopers who were either involved or aware of the incident were not disciplined, she contends.
“Most shockingly (the male) who filed a retaliatory complaint containing numerous, easily proven false statements did not receive any discipline whatsoever for this conduct,” she stated in the complaint.
The Herald is withholding the names of the troopers because the investigation is in its early stages.
David Procopio, a state police spokesman, denied the department discriminated against the trooper and said it still has an open investigation into her allegations. He also said the male trooper, who he confirmed was removed from the academy, faced “appropriate action” and ac-