MILFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - Milford Police Chief Michael Pighetti, who was placed on paid administrative leave earlier this month, announced Tuesday that his actions were “justified” and that he was “motivated solely by the desire to protect the safety” of his town when he stopped an erratic driver last month and advised his officers to handle the situation “as they saw fit.”
During a meeting last Monday, the Milford Select Board voted to place Pighetti on leave “pending the completion of an internal investigation into allegations he exercised unauthorized and unnecessary police powers while contractually serving in his capacity as the administrative police chief,” Town Administrator Richard A. Villani said in a statement.
In an effort to “set the record straight,” Pighetti detailed the Jan. 28 incident in a letter to the community.
Pighetti explained that he was driving an unmarked town-issued police cruiser when he saw a vehicle blow through a red light at the intersection of Congress and West streets.
After witnessing the vehicle nearly strike a number of parked cars and narrowly miss driving up on the sidewalk at Town Park, Pighetti said he decided to activate his lights and sirens and pull over the motorist as they sped toward a school zone.
“I interacted with the operator to determine if he needed medical assistance or if something else was occurring that caused his driving behavior,” Pighetti wrote in the letter. “I requested assistance through the department immediately and officers arrived shortly thereafter. I explained the sequence of events to the officers on scene and advised the officers to proceed as they saw fit.”
Pighetti added that he issued no orders or instructions to the officers. They later determined that the driver was not impaired but a citation was issued for operating a vehicle without a valid license.
“My justified actions were motivated solely by the desire to protect the safety and security of our community members,” Pighetti wrote.
Pighetti also claimed that he was not given an opportunity to address the allegations during last week’s town meeting.
“During the meeting, when the Chairman twice asked if I had anything that I wished to say, Selectman O’Loughlin interjected that he did not think it would be appropriate to hear from me,” Pighetti wrote. “Instead, Selectman O’Loughlin read from a typed motion that an outside investigator should be retained to conduct an inquiry.”
Pighetti says he is prepared to defend his actions as “proper and legitimate.”
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)