WINTHROP — Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty’s private firm Law Enforcement Applications and Development Strategies (LEADS) has been commissioned by the Marblehead Police Department to investigate an anti-Semitic incident from 2019, in which a Marblehead policeman allegedly carved a swastika into another officer’s car.
The independent review was commissioned by Marblehead Police Chief Robert Picariello, who told the Jewish Journal that he intends to meet with Delehanty early next month, and that he expects the investigators will do “whatever it takes to do a thorough job”.
Delehanty has served on the Winthrop Police Department for almost 25 years and has been its chief for more than 11 years. He is certified by the Massachusetts Commission on Discrimination as a workplace investigator and trainer, according to the Winthrop Police Department’s website.
Picariello described the incident, which occurred in the summer of 2019, as “a thing between two officers.” It began when a police officer stuck a can under Officer Timothy Tufts’ car windshield wiper, which Tufts then allegedly used to scratch the swastika into the other officer’s personal car, he said.
Picariello was made aware of the incident in November 2020, and subsequently placed Tufts on administrative leave. Tufts resigned shortly thereafter, according to a statement from the Marblehead police chief’s office.
The incident drew condemnation from both Picariello and the town’s Board of Selectmen.
“The Marblehead Police Department is committed to equality and respect of human rights and human dignity. This incident is not representative of the dedicated, decent women and men in our agency,” said Picariello, following Tufts’ resignation. “I apologize to our community for this deeply disturbing and unfortunate situation, and I vow to do everything and engage every resource available to ensure that this kind of incident does not repeat itself in the future.”
“Ultimately, no amount of training can counteract willful intolerance,” the Board of Selectmen said in a statement. “And we are glad to know that the person responsible for this incident has resigned from the department. We know that this individual’s actions are not reflective of the character of the men and women who serve our community as police officers.”
Neither officer involved is Jewish, and the department does not intend to seek hate crime charges against Tufts.
The incident may spark changes in the police department, as Picariello has been speaking to the Anti-Defamation League of New England’s regional director, Robert Trestan, to figure out additional training programs or resources that might be appropriate for the department.
Picariello, who plans to retire this July, said he intended to use this investigation for training purposes, stating that he hopes Delehany will “conduct a holistic finding of fact so that we can learn all of the facts of this incident and include it in our training programs.”
Guthrie Scrimgeour can be reached at [email protected].
