SWAMPSCOTT — A Swampscott police officer resigned after his name surfaced in the Lynn Police Department texting and drug investigation.
According to the Swampscott Police Department, Officer Joel Pimentel, 28, a Lynn resident, came under internal investigation for alleged participation in drug use, when the Lynn Police Department (LPD) shared some information from an ongoing investigation with the town’s police.
“His name came up in a couple of text messages that were brought to our attention,” said Swampscott Police Capt. Joseph Kable.
In the spring of 2021, the LPD was investigating improper conduct involving members of the department. The focus of the investigation was private text messages between two officers that included racially-offensive language and evidence of drug use by officers, the Lynn Police Department said at the time in a statement.
The LPD shared very limited information with the SPD, including two text messages that placed Pimentel in connection with the group under investigation, Kable said. The text messages didn’t implicate Pimentel directly in the use of drugs, Kable said, but have placed him in the proximity of people who did.
One individual interviewed by the LPD in the course of the investigation made an allegation that Pimentel had twice participated in the use of controlled substances. Pimentel never acknowledged any wrongdoing and denied the allegations, Kable said.
The SPD conducted an internal investigation into the matter and sent out letters to the people involved in the Lynn investigation requesting to speak with them, but received no answers.
“There was no (inappropriate) conduct that was on duty,” Kable said.
Pimentel was placed on administrative leave during the investigation and resigned in September 2021, before the department made any determination.
“We certainly recognize that there are some serious implications but we will continue to uphold the highest standards for professionalism both on and off duty for members of the Swampscott Police Department, and frankly, for all town departments,” said Swampscott Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald.
The investigation in the LPD led to the resignation of five Lynn police officers, termination of one officer and suspension of another. The Lynn Police Department has not identified these officers.
Individuals who have resigned from police service can apply for jobs at other departments, Kable said, but the Swampscott department had submitted documentation pertaining to the investigation to the Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission in compliance with the 2020 Police Reform Law.
“The department will have a full understanding of what happened and at some point POST makes a determination of whether or not the person is certifiable,” said Kable. “I expect the person to be non-certifiable by POST. Nothing stops them from applying, but I would think they certainly wouldn’t receive a job in the Swampscott police with this.”
