Criminologist Says Police Reports Are Routinely Redacted
BOSTON (CBS) - When State Police Colonel Richard McKeon abruptly announced his retirement Friday afternoon in a swirl of controversy over a police report, at least one former officer was stunned.
"It's a trivial thing that was blown up," said criminologist Tom Nolan, a former Boston Police lieutenant. "There appears to be some level of internal disarray, and I think the public has a right to be assured that whoever takes over the helm…has a firm control of the organization."
It happened after troopers Ali Rei and Ryan Sceviour decided to sue McKeon and the State Police. The police report dealt with 30-year-old Ali Bibaud, a judge's daughter who crashed her car in Worcester last month.
According to police reports, Bibaud admitted to using heroin and told police, "My father is an (expletive) judge. He's going to kill me." Her father is Dudley District Court Judge Timothy Bibaud. The reports also said Ms. Bibaud admitted to performing sex acts on men for drugs.
Days later, the troopers say they were ordered to remove references to sex and the judge, something the troopers' attorney call "illegal."
But Nolan, who's a 27-year veteran of the Boston Police force, says he's reviewed countless such reports.
"I would have immediately had that taken out," he said. "The purpose of having that put in there serves none other than to embarrass this individual."
He says reports are routinely redacted to remove information that's irrelevant to the charges, and says it's highly unusual the man at the top would take the fall.
"Why did a police officer, an entry-level trooper see fit to include information that would embarrass people unnecessarily?" Nolan said.
McKeon was appointed superintendent in July of 2015, and is a 35-year veteran of the State Police Force. His retirement takes effect next week.
