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Union for State Police troopers reacts to Michael Proctor being relieved of duties after Karen Read mistrial
President of the State Police Association of Massachusetts said Proctor’s text messages have “no relationship” to any allegations of “cover-ups, collusion, or conspiracies."
After Karen Read’s high-profile murder trial ended Monday in a mistrial, Massachusetts State Police trooper Michael Proctor was promptly relieved of his duties. Now, his union is weighing in.
Proctor, the lead investigator into the death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe, read texts he sent to family, friends, and colleagues about Read and the ongoing investigation aloud in court. On the stand, Proctor confirmed he called the Mansfield woman a “wack job c**t” and “retarded” and made comments about her Crohn’s disease.
Effective Monday evening, Proctor will no longer work cases or function as a trooper, State Police announced. He will be transferred out of his unit with the Norfolk County District Attorney effective July 7.
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Governor Maura Healey backed the Massachusetts State Police’s decision to remove Proctor from his position.
Brian Williams, the president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, said Tuesday that Proctor’s text messages have “no relationship” to any allegations of “cover-ups, collusion, or conspiracies offered by the defense.”
“The Association is proud of the work our members do each day, as well as the fact that our Massachusetts homicide solve rate is the envy of the country,” Williams wrote in a statement. “At the same time, we must be clear that we do not condone the language used in text messages presented as evidence during the trial.”
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Williams said Read’s defense “blurred the lines between fact and innuendo.” During the trial, Prosecutors alleged that she drunkenly and intentionally backed her car into O’Keefe, while her lawyers claimed she was framed in a far-reaching coverup.
During his testimony, Proctor claimed his comments — including when he said “she hit him with her car” and “Yes, she’s a babe. Weird Fall River accent, though. No ass.” — had no bearing on the investigation.
“I don’t have an explanation other than they’re regrettable and it’s something I’m not proud of, the language that I used,” he said at the time. “These juvenile, unprofessional comments have zero impact on the facts and the evidence and the integrity of this investigation.”
An internal investigation into Proctor’s conduct is ongoing, State Police said Monday.
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