Page 2 - March 2017

Colonel’s
Message

Greetings.

Thank you for checking out our current edition of “French and Electric Blue.” I wanted to take a minute to share a few
thoughts, and my gratitude, with you.

Most importantly, I wanted mtoajroeraitfyfiromf th--eemmepmhbateircsaollyf t-h-emMyaussnawchavueseritntgs confidence in the integrity of this great
police department. The vast State Police serve our citizens with honor,
devotion, and courage -- every shift, every day, every mission.

Like any high-profile law enforcement agency, we occasionally suffer our share of criticism from members of the
public, and even from within our own ranks, much of which makes its way to the media.

Sometimes the criticism is warranted, and when it is, we are the first to take responsibility and acknowledge that we
could have done better. At other times, the criticisms have little, if any, merit. And at times, regardless of their validity,
they are amplified by the media, and a relatively small number of criticisms, even those that have been disproven by
a fact-finding body, are inaccurately portrayed as a widespread or systemic problem. But this is nothing new, and I am
proud that we allow anyone to fully express any grievances they have, that we examine them with neither bias nor
pre-determined opinions, and that we address them appropriately.
Those who are familiar with the workings, and the work, of the Massachusetts State Police today, know that this
department is unceasingly committed to fulfilling its mission of protecting the public safety. Those who know us, also,
know that along with excellent police services, we provide fair and equitable treatment of all members of the public
with whom we interact, and with all members of our department, sworn and civilian.

Those who know our department know that we demand the protection of due process for everyone, for the
complainants and those whom they are accusing alike. Any large agency and organization deals with these matters,
and we are no exception. Moreover, we have a proven and established system of due diligence in handling them
fairly. That process ensures that everyone’s voices are heard and their rights protected.
And as that internal investigative and disciplinary system follows its course, and as the occasional internal review
plays out on the pages and airtime of the media, it is important to remember that the important external-facing work
of this department, the work that truly matters to the public, goes on, day after day, night after night.
As we handle internal complaints fairly and without bias – as we should, as we must – it is also important to never
forget the core of our mission -- the help, and hope, we give to the public, one call at a time, one case at a time, one
mission at a time. Regardless of whatever else may be going on, regardless of accusations that make headlines even
after they are dismissed by fact-finding bodies, we continue our work.

We march on, to respond to the next homicide to seek justice for a grieving family; to search for a missing child as
anxious parents wait for information; to methodically build evidence against a drug trafficker who is destroying a
neighborhood; to seek impaired drivers and take them off the roads; to seize weapons and ammunition from gang
members; to interdict speeding and distracted drivers.
Regardless of the internal complaints that generate disproportionate headlines, the hard and important work of
protecting the men, women and children of our state goes on, every shift and every day, in the arena in which we
work.
To all of you who do that hard work, seeking neither fame nor glory, but only the assurance of having done your job
well, I thank you.

Colonel Rick McKeon

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