Civil Service Decisions

The Commission rejected the motion for reconsideration by State Police, rejecting the argument that it had no jurisdiction over disciplinary matters handled administratively in-house.

The Commission reversed the discharge of an East Longmeadow Police Officer given that the officer had not been untruthful in relation to an altercation in response to an incident at a local business, had no disciplinary history, and video evidence of the incident which was not incriminating.

The Commission dismissed the appeal of a discharged Stoughton police officer because of a lack of jurisdiction.

The Commission affirmed the discharge of a Somerville police officer who used an anti-gay slur while he assaulted a citizen on the street who was not threatening him, and later lied about why he engaged in this assault. The Commission found the Appellant’s behavior constituted conduct unbecoming of a police officer.

The 1-day suspension of a Springfield police captain was affirmed by the Commission, finding he had posted offensive comments online targeted at public citizens in the context of a political discussion. The captain’s offensive language interfered with his duty as a police officer to treat all citizens with respect.

The Superior Court denied the Town's motion to stay the Commission's decision overturning the termination of a Brookline firefighter.

The Commission dismissed the appeal of a suspension from a New Bedford cemetery clerk who was disciplined for incompetence as she failed to request a hearing before the local Appointing Authority which is a precondition to the Commission’s jurisdiction as per Section 41.

The Commission accepted the appeals from four State Troopers who were suspended without pay following a brief hearing by a State Police Duty Status Board as the Commission found that the summary process relying on merely hearsay memorandum for evidence lacked basic due process elements.