Police Chiefs Want Revaluation Of State Judicial System

WOBURN, MA -- Woburn Police Chief Robert Ferullo Jr. is joining two other Massachusetts police chiefs who have lost officers to career criminals to pressure state officials to reevaluate key parts of the state judicial system. Ferullo, Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson and Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis Jr. want a reexamination of rules that increased penalties for repeat offenders, regular review of judges, and the death penalty for convicted cop killers.

"We’re a very small club," Ferullo told NBC News Boston, which first reported this story. "But it’s not just three here. There’s 350 behind us. The entire Massachusetts Chief’s Association is behind us."

In 2010, Dominic Cinelli shot and killed Woburn Police officer Jack Maguire during a shootout following an armed robbery. Cinelli had been paroled from a prison sentence of three life terms for armed robbery and escaping prison in 2008.

Ferullo joins the push after the April 12 killing of Yarmouth police officer Sean Gannon as he tried to serve a warrant to Thomas Latanowich. Latanowich was on probation after serving prison time for gun and drug crimes.

"The worst of the worst need to be in jail," Yarmouth Chief Frederickson said. "They need to stay there and be segregated from the good people. That is our job as police officers, as legislators and our job in the justice system."

Auburn Chief Sluckis said judges need to be periodically reviewed. In 2016, Jorge Zambrano, a career criminal with 92 charges on his record, shot and kiled Auburn Police officer Ron Tarentino Jr. during a motor vehicle stop. Zambrano was out on bail on the time of the killing, even though prosecutors had requested he not be released during a dangerousness hearing.

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"The governor gets evaluated every time he runs for re-election. Every senator and state rep gets re-evaluated every time they run for re-election. Judges pretty much are the only people that don’t get evaluated," Sluckis said.

For more on this story, see NBC News Boston. Never miss another local news story: Get free local news alerts right to your inbox.

Patch file photo.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).