Two more police officers have been suspended by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.
The newly-established POST Commission is a major part of police reform in the state and has said it intends to give updates at the beginning of each month. The three suspensions announced on April 6 bring the total to 24.
Domenic Columbo of the Boston Police Department and Daniel Whitman, who previously worked at the Tyngsboro Police Department, have been suspended.
Columbo was charged in a drunk driving crash on New Year's Day in 2018. Two people in the vehicle he hit were hurt, with one suffering a severe brain injury, prosecutors said at the time. According to the Boston Globe, he was convicted in December of charges of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and operating under the influence and causing serious bodily injury.
The Globe reported last month that Whitman had been sentenced to a year in prison, two years supervised release and a $20,000 fine. He previously pleaded guilty to bank fraud charges and a violation of the National Firearms Act.
The commission has previously explained that it is "directed by statute to suspend the certification of an officer who is arrested, charged or indicted for a felony and will revoke the certification of an officer who is convicted of a felony." It adds that each suspension will remain in effect "until a final decision or revocation is made by the Commission."
Additionally, the POST Commission has published a list of Massachusetts officers classified as "not certified." As of its last update on Feb. 20, there are 267 names on that list.
"Officers on this list are not certified because they have either failed to complete the required training, are out on excused leave, or their situation involves a disciplinary matter," the POST Commission explained in a statement. "Officers who have retired or resigned in good standing are not included on this list."
Late last year, the POST Commission released a public database of recertified officers.
