CANTON, Mass. — An independent audit of Canton’s police department was outlined by 5 Stones Intelligence during a presentation Saturday in front of residents at the town’s high school.
The more than 200-page report released earlier this week cited procedural missteps in certain investigations, but no signs of intentional misconduct or conspiracy by the department.
After a 90-minute presentation, several Canton residents in attendance commented and asked questions regarding the report.
“Some of it sounded reasonable, some of it sounded lenient to me,” said one resident.
Another Saturday asked, “I’d like to know the concrete recommendations you have for rebuilding the relationship between the police department, the community, and town leadership.”
5 Stones Intelligence offered a list of recommendations after conducting dozens of interviews and looking into multiple prominent cases over the last few months.
Matt Germanowski, Senior Director at 5 Stones Intelligence, explained, “You have to ask yourself, ‘What did the officers know at the time?’ Then, look at their actions. When we did that, there was nothing egregious.”
He continued, “The current police administration embraced the audit. They welcomed the recommendations and they implemented them.”
Brian McKnight, Chief of Investigations at 5 Stones Intelligence, added, referring to Canton Police, “I think from lessons learned, they’re in good shape.”
After the long presentation, some residents were still skeptical.
Peter Murphy, one resident, told Boston 25, “People are angry that this case wasn’t investigated properly.”
Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty also released a statement to the media, reading in part:
“Over the last several years, there has been great focus and criticism around how the Canton Police Department investigated the murder of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. I want to emphasize, while there were oversights, our investigation was conducted without bias and with a focus on collecting facts and evidence at a scene that presented unique challenges.”
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