Report calls for termination of acting Lawrence police chief who took part in unauthorized chase

A consultant’s report released Jan. 14 recommended the termination of acting Lawrence Police Chief William Castro based on alleged policy violations, unfair hiring practices, and intimidation attempts.

“The most important quality an officer possesses is their integrity,” the Comprehensive Investigation and Consulting said in its report. “Acting Chief Castro has sacrificed his integrity for his own benefit.”

Castro was hired on the Lawrence Police force by Mayor Brian DePeña on Oct. 20, 2023, after serving as the mayor’s chief of staff. On March 21, 2024, Castro’s certification was suspended by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, Commission. Multiple outlets reported that he still received his $210,000 salary after suspension.

The Eagle-Tribune reported Saturday that Castro has returned to serve as DePeña’s chief of staff, effective Jan. 21.

The city of Lawrence hired Comprehensive Investigations and Consulting to review and report on Castro’s conduct. That report was published last Tuesday, nearly five months after starting the investigation.

CIC gathered emails, radio and 911 calls, and video footage pertaining to the allegations, as well as reviewing Lawrence Police policies and procedures. The organization also interviewed 17 members of the Lawrence Police Department and one civilian, whose names are redacted from the report.

The first two of five allegations CIC examined was Castro’s alleged policy-violating pursuit of a vehicle and the fabrication of events in an official police report. 

A man tried to cash a fake check at a credit union on Feb. 2, 2024. Castro alleged he was on the way to renew his license when he heard the radio dispatch and observed the suspect, then followed the Mercedes until it crashed on South Canal Street.

Castro told one officer that he had actively pursued the car and, according to the report, he wrote in his incident report, “I perceived the operator and his passenger as being involved in a bank robbery.” Through multiple interviews with officers, it was determined that Castro should not have started a pursuit over a bad check, per Lawrence Police policy, and lied in his police report about the nature of the crime.

Castro also drove on the sidewalk and went the wrong way on the Canal Bridge, creating a situation that was “highly dangerous to citizens and involved parties,” CIC concluded.

“Acting Chief Castro broke the law in an effort to cover up a mistake that he made,” CIC wrote in the report. “Instead of accepting the consequences for his actions, he fabricated a false police report.”

CIC cited a letter from an officer who worked for the Lawrence Police Department for over 22 years, alleging Castro’s unethical hiring practices. 

The officer listed three individuals who presented with questionable qualifications, such as incomplete required training, inability to be POST certified, and serious allegations or criminal charges on their record.

Despite these barriers for employment at the department, Castro allegedly had a hand in putting the three individuals on staff.

Castro was also accused of using intimidation of an officer to create an unstable work environment.

Mayor DePeña visited one officer to inform him of an investigation into his overtime disparities and said that many superior officers would turn against him, according to the report. Castro, who was suspended at this time, echoed this statement to the officer after DePeña’s visit. 

The officer told CIC he believed that both parties were trying to instill fear and create animosity within the department. The officer became so fearful that he relapsed with alcohol, according to the report.

CIC confirmed these allegations with interviews and internal records and recommended Castro’s termination. CIC did not uphold an allegation of retaliation against two officers, stating that it was “speculative in nature.”

A call to the city of Lawrence’s legal department for a response to the report was not returned as of press time.

Lawrence city councilors are meeting Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. to discuss the consultant’s report. The meeting will be held in the council chambers at City Hall at 200 Common St. and livestreamed on the council’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

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