Haverhill mayor names outside investigator to examine police leadership

Local News

The investigation will be limited in scope, and not include a review of a July incident where a man died while being detained by police.

An outside investigation into the Haverhill Police Department is set to begin this week, with an attorney appointed by Mayor Melinda Barrett overseeing the review.

In a statement Thursday, Barrett also provided details about the scope of the investigation, which will be limited to issues with leadership recently raised by the city’s two police unions. It will not include an examination of the July incident where a man died while being restrained by Haverhill police officers. 

The investigation comes on the heels of a tumultuous week for the department. Chief Robert Pistone was placed on leave last week before abruptly retiring. Deputy Chief Stephen Doherty Jr. was briefly named acting chief, but was also placed on leave. The Haverhill Police Patrolman’s Association issued a vote of no confidence in both leaders, and Barrett made the decision to place Doherty on leave following a closed-door meeting with union members where “new information” was presented to her. 

“This investigation is limited to issues raised during meetings I had with the two unions. Specifically, there were concerns about Former Chief Pistone and Deputy Chief Doherty relative to their internal departmental communications, including management style, interpersonal interactions, and external communications regarding Haverhill police officers,” Barrett said in the statement Thursday. 

Barrett said she selected Regina Ryan, an attorney with Discrimination and Harassment Solutions, LLC, to oversee the investigation. The mayor praised Ryan’s decades of experience in employment litigation and her history leading “scores of impartial investigations.”

Barrett characterized this as a “targeted review” that will focus on HPD operations, policies, and practices. 

The police department has been under scrutiny since July, when a local man named Francis Gigliotti died in an interaction with officers. Videos taken by bystanders show Gigliotti begging for help as officers swarmed around him. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that his death was homicide, attributing it to an abnormal heartbeat caused by cocaine and alcohol intoxication and efforts by police to restrain him. 

Seven officers were put on paid leave following Gigliotti’s death, and Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker’s office is investigating the incident. 

“This investigation is not an investigation of emergency police response or training and, to be clear, it is not an investigation of the actions of Haverhill police officers in the arrest and unexpected death of Francis Gigliotti,” Barrett said of the review being led by Ryan. 

The unexpected death of Officer Katelyn Tully last month supercharged tensions within the department, causing family members of Haverhill police officers to pen an anonymous letter to Pistone excoriating his leadership. 

Tully was reportedly one of the officers placed on leave. Her father told local news outlets that he believes Pistone mishandled the response to Gigliotti’s death, and that the subsequent stress potentially contributed to her having a fatal heart attack. 

Barrett expects the independent investigation into the HPD to be “completed as quickly as possible while ensuring that all details and perspectives are considered.” After the investigation concludes, Ryan will produce a report with conclusions and recommendations. 

“Our goal with this independent investigation is to ensure that the police force can conduct their jobs in an environment that protects both them and the public.” Barrett said.