Police Chief: No Recent Profiling, Force Formal Complaints

ANDOVER, MA — Andover Police Chief Patrick Keefe spoke to the Select Board Monday about the department's policies and training procedures, in response to a wave of questions following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

The department has not received any "formal complaints" regarding racial profiling or excessive force in the last four years, Keefe said. All complaints go through Lieutenant Frank Fitzpatrick, Keefe said.

The department does not wear body cameras, but is not opposed to them, the chief said. The department last looked into getting body cameras in 2016 and found they would be very expensive; equipping the department would cost $400,000 and it would cost $100,000 annually to store footage.

Keefe brought up a recent policy change the department made to how it responds to "suspicious activity" calls. In the past, he said, the department would automatically send an officer.

"That a lot of times put the officer and the person in a bad position that the officer is going to investigate," Keefe said.

Instead, the dispatcher will ask the caller specific questions to determine what makes the activity suspicious, and the shift commander will decide whether to send an officer.

"People occasionally report someone is suspicious merely because they are unfamiliar to a particular area or neighborhood," Keefe said. "Reports of this nature can be driven by implicit bias."

Keefe also described the department's annual training and answered questions from the Select Board.

The full presentation is available here from AndoverTV, beginning around 12 minutes in.

In response to a question about police officers in schools, Keefe said that the high school role is currently vacant, but state law now requires school resource officers. The school committee can request a waiver.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.