EXECUTIVE SESSION OF NEW MEDFORD CITY COUNCIL: Report finds physical abuse, intimidation at state Trial Court Officer Academy

ETHICS, INTEGRITY, COMPLIANCE MISSING IN MEDFORD

DO THE MEDFORD CITY COUNCIL EXECUTIVE SESSIONS RUN LIKE Trial Court Officer Academy?

By Jeremy C. Fox Globe Correspondent,Updated January 6, 2022, 11:28 p.m.

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Recruits at the state’s Trial Court Officer Academy in Chicopee were repeatedly hit in the face and strangled by senior staff, who created a culture of fear and intimidation, according to the findings of a months-long investigation released late last week.

According to the 100-page report, which includes many redactions, recruits and witnesses reported incidents of violence against at least five members of the academy’s last class, and members of several classes “described a culture of fear, intimidation, humiliation, disrespect, punishment-based discipline, and retaliation.”

Videos of classes at the academy located at Westover Air Reserve Base confirm some of the allegations, according to the report, which is dated Dec. 17 and was written by a team of independent assessors consisting of former law enforcement officials Nancy McGillivray, Elin Graydon, and Kevin Burke.