Select Board OK’s police chief contract amid outcry

By Mike Berger

An audience of approximately 40 people reacted with audible frustration as the Canton Select Board on Tuesday finalized the approval of a one-year contract extension for Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty.

The official vote, which had followed considerable discussion by board members, was 3-1-1 with Chair Mike Loughran, John Connolly and JR McCourt voicing support, Trish Boyden voting opposed, and Chris Albert abstaining. (Albert was a testifying witness in the Karen Read murder trial — a case that has fueled criticism of police conduct and was a catalyst for the independent audit approved by voters at a Special Town Meeting in November 2023.)

Loughran said the board received well over 400 emails from residents, including several who were in favor of the contract and several who were opposed, and members read “every one of those emails.”

Whereas several other administrative leaders on Tuesday were unanimously awarded new three-year contracts, Loughran said the majority of board members felt that the best course of action was to stick with Rafferty for the next 12 months and give her an opportunity to address some of the public’s concerns.

“We want to get through the [Karen Read] trial,” he said. “We want to get the police audit and give her a chance to respond to what the audit finds and take appropriate steps to correct whatever the audit points out. And that is the decision that the majority of the Select Board is comfortable with.”

Boyden read a statement at the meeting explaining her reasons for opposing the extension. “While I believe that during her time on the force, Helena Rafferty had the best interest of Canton in mind, I have notable concerns about her leadership in recent years as chief,” she said.

Boyden noted that the department has lost six officers to early retirement or transfers, which she attributed to the “turmoil of the past two years.” She specifically cited the CPD’s “poor response” to the crime scene on January 29, 2022, when Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe — Read’s boyfriend at the time — was found unconscious and hypothermic in the snow outside the home of fellow BPD Officer Brian Albert (brother of SB member Chris Albert).

Boyden also cited Rafferty’s refusal to address residents’ concerns; the CPD’s prosecution of peaceful protesters and weaponization of an “ambiguous” witness intimidation statute; and Rafferty’s decision to allow signs to be hung at the police station encouraging residents to “Vote No” to the police audit.

“[Those signs were] a violation of all of the CPD contracts, which is grounds for termination,” Boyden said. “[Officers] cannot engage in political activity.”

Boyden said she preferred to hire an acting chief and then conduct a search for a “strong leader and problem solver from outside of town” — an approach taken by many other area communities, she said.

During the public comment period prior to the vote, several residents voiced their concerns about continuing with Rafferty as the town’s police chief.

Resident James White urged the board to “do what’s best” for the town. “Everybody’s hearing what you’re saying, and everybody’s hearing your silence,” he said. “Do something that is appropriate and save the town before it’s too late.”

Kathleen Howley, who spearheaded the police audit initiative, said the CPD under Rafferty only looks out for residents who are “well-connected townies.”

“I’m concerned about the safety of the people who are not well-connected because if we speak up, we get threatened, we get smeared,” she said.

Howley said that she has personally become a target due to her outspoken criticisms of police and town leaders and when she’s gone to the police for protection, they have not taken her concerns seriously. The message, she said, has been clear: “You don’t count. The police are not here to protect you.”

In addition to approving the contract for Rafferty, Select Board members also voted unanimously at Tuesday night’s meeting to extend the contracts of the town’s software coordinator (Susan Musto), information systems manager (Louis Jutras), DPW superintendent (Michael Trotta), town accountant (Allyson Podgurski), and human resources administrator (Jody Middleton).

At the end of the discussion about the chief’s contract, two members of the audience became disruptive and Loughran had them escorted out of the meeting by a police officer.

In other major news from Tuesday’s meeting, the Select Board voted in support …

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