Cop resigns in disgrace

Accused of carving swastika into another officer’s vehicle

A Massachusetts police officer accused of carving a swastika onto another officer’s vehicle has resigned, the police department announced on Wednesday.

Marblehead police officer Timothy Tufts, who had been on administrative leave pending an investigation, is no longer with the department, according to Chief Robert Picariello.

The chief in mid-November was alerted about one of his officers allegedly scratching a swastika into the paint of another officer’s personal vehicle.

Picariello on Wednesday said he learned that Tufts has resigned. He joined the department in 2016.

“I am dismayed and deeply disturbed by this incident,” the chief said in a statement. “Today, there is no room for excuses of ignorance. The swastika is a symbol of hate and genocide, and we must speak up against acts of hate and hate speech whenever and wherever we encounter it.

“The Marblehead Police Department is committed to equality and respect of human rights and human dignity,” he added. “This incident is not representative of the dedicated, decent women and men in our agency.”

The chief has been in touch with the Anti-Defamation League of New England, and every member of Marblehead PD will go through ADL’s training programs.

Picariello said he’s also commissioning an independent administrative review and retaining an outside investigator to learn all of the incident’s facts and include it in their training programs.

“I apologize to our community for this deeply disturbing and unfortunate situation, and I vow to do everything and engage every resource available to ensure that this kind of incident does not repeat itself in the future,” Picariello said.

The Marblehead Board of Selectmen said there’s “simply no place for this kind of behavior” within the police department.

“We were deeply disappointed to learn of this incident, which is both a direct contradiction of the spirit of inclusion we hold dear in our community, and a violation of the high standards to which we hold our law enforcement officers here in Marblehead,” the board said. “This former officer’s behavior in no way reflects the values of the department, and that is evident in the swift and decisive way Chief Picariello has responded to this incident once he became aware of it last month.”