CANTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Canton residents attended a meeting at the high school on Saturday where they demanded answers from city officials after an independent audit of the police department found issues when it came to documentation and the collection of evidence.
Canton police have faced criticism for their handling of several cases, including the investigation into Karen Read, who is accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, and the Sandra Birchmore investigation. Birchmore’s death was initially ruled a suicide but a former Stoughton police officer was later charged in her death.
During the three-hour meeting, residents focused on repairing the relationship between the department and the community.
Resident Rita Lombardi said, “I appreciate the report that you guys have done, I appreciate you coming here, I appreciate the report, I think a lot of it sounded reasonable to me and some of it sounded lenient to me.”
During his time at the mic, Canton resident Greg Murphy said, “I voted for the audit but I did this mainly because I viewed an unbiased audit as the potentially only way to renew the trust between the police department and the citizens of Canton.
In response to the audit, which was conducted by 5 Stones Intelligence, Police Chief Helena Rafferty said, “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.”
Police leadership say they are open to the recommendations made by the audit, including putting evidence collection kits into police cruisers.
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