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Retired Canton police chief who led department through Karen Read case has died
Kenneth Berkowitz served as Canton police chief through COVID-19, sweeping statewide police reforms, and the controversial investigation into John O'Keefe's death.
Former Canton Police Chief Kenneth Berkowitz died Saturday, a little more than two years into his retirement.
Canton Town Administrator Charles Doody confirmed Berkowitz’s death Monday, but said the town will not be releasing an official statement, at the request of the former chief’s family.
Berkowitz’s cause of death has not been made public.
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He retired in 2022 following a 17-year stint as chief, saying it was time to “pass the torch,” the Canton Citizen reported at the time. A Canton resident, Berkowitz joined the town’s police department as a patrol officer in 1992 and rose through the ranks before he was tapped to take the reins in 2005, according to the news outlet.
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In his final years as chief, Berkowitz led the department through both COVID-19 and sweeping statewide police reforms. He reflected on his lengthy career during a 2022 retirement dinner, recorded by Canton Community Television.
“To the residents and the people whom I met during their darkest hours, I hope and pray that I was able to erase some of your pain, or at least make it a little more bearable,” Berkowitz said.
Elected officials also paid tribute to Berkowitz at the dinner, including Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey.
“When we’ve had difficult cases, it’s a first-rate department and we’ve enjoyed a lot of support from the chief,” Morrissey said of the Canton police.
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Yet Berkowitz’s retirement was, in some ways, overshadowed by the department’s connection to the controversial Karen Read case.
Read, 44, is accused of drunkenly and deliberately backing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, outside a home in Canton on Jan. 29, 2022. Her lawyers maintain she was framed in a law enforcement coverup and have alleged conflicts of interest among investigators and scrutinized the Canton Police Department’s crime scene protocols.
During Read’s first murder trial last spring, Canton officers testified about using plastic Solo cups as improvised evidence collection containers during their investigation into O’Keefe’s death. Jurors were shown a photo of a Stop & Shop grocery bag carrying several Solo cups that contained frozen blood samples.
Berkowitz also allegedly spotted a piece of Read’s broken taillight in the melting snow while driving past the crime scene several days after O’Keefe died, per testimony from Canton Police Lt. Michael Lank.
Read’s lawyers included Berkowitz on their list of potential witnesses, though he never took the stand. Prosecutors plan to retry Read in 2025 after her first trial ended with a hung jury on July 1.
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According to a death notice from Brezniak Funeral Directors, Berkowitz will be honored in a service at Temple Sinai in Sharon Thursday. Donations in Berkowitz’s memory can be made to Cops for Kids with Cancer, PO Box 850956, Braintree, MA 02185.
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