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NEW BEDFORD — The city has hired an internal affairs expert to investigate two troubled New Bedford Police Department divisions, but the mayor has not identified the expert nor when he was hired.
The units that are under review include the Professional Standards Unit (internal affairs), which investigates police misconduct and recommends discipline, and the Organized Crime and Intelligence Bureau (OCIB), which handles narcotics cases.
The information comes after the Boston Globe reported last week that Police Chief Paul Oliveira has been investigated by the FBI at least three times over the last two decades, and that city police officers have abused the confidential informant system under his leadership.
In his statement, Mayor Jon Mitchell said the department hired a “highly respected internal affairs expert to take a deeper dive. … I have directed him to thoroughly review the Boston Globe’s reporting so that no area in need of improvement is missed. … We will make his findings available to the public.”
What The Globe found
In its multi-part series, “Snitch City,” the Boston Globe Spotlight team, which has been investigating the department since as early as 2023, records show, reported on ways police officers — both former and current — abused the confidential informant system. They traced this to when Oliveira worked as a detective in narcotics decades ago.
Mitchell posted on Facebook that the series was “materially incomplete” and criticized how it portrayed New Bedford. He also said he forwarded the series to the FBI. He declined an interview request with The Light through the city’s public information officer, who referred to his statement shared on Facebook.
The series reported Oliveira would work with higher-level drug dealers to arrest smaller dealers — not the direction police are supposed to work. One anecdote alleges Oliveira and other officers took tens of thousands of dollars belonging to a drug defendant from a crime scene in 1998, while Oliveira reported to the department that police had only found a little more than $2,000.
He worked in the narcotics division in the late ’90s to early 2000s.
Not everything in the Spotlight series was new information. In 2003, The Standard-Times reported a drug defendant made an agreement with federal agents in 1999 to provide information on possible corruption within NBPD, including on claims the defendant made regarding Oliveira. Court records reviewed by The Light corroborate this. But nothing came of the inquiry.
Another drug defendant decided not to testify against Oliveira and the narcotics unit, The Globe reported. He feared having to watch his back for the rest of his life, a risk that comes with being a “snitch.” The Globe reported that Oliveira visited the defendant in 2001 at his holding cell, thanking him for “doing the right thing.”
The Globe also reported that the FBI again inquired about Oliveira in 2017 on his history with informants and narcotics cases, and in 2022 regarding the department’s trustworthiness on drug investigations.
Oliveira declined comment to the news outlet before it published the stories. He also declined an interview request with The Light. The police department created a “For the Record” page on its site, where the department criticizes and counters several aspects of The Globe series. It does not contain a statement from Oliveira.
In response to allegations of FBI investigations, the department said: “Chief Oliveira is unaware of an investigation, nor has he ever been subpoenaed or requested to participate in an interview. The Chief has no knowledge of a formal request by either the FBI or the Department of Justice in this regard.”
The series also focused on two officers: Jorge Santos and Alexander Polson.
Santos, who earned the nickname “Officer Pills” for operating the waterfront like his “personal pharmacy” (allegedly stealing drugs from fishermen and other residents), resigned in 2020 after the city moved to fire him.
A criminal case was opened by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Dozens of witnesses were interviewed, and a grand jury heard testimony from a former police officer about Santos’ conduct, but no criminal charges resulted. The Light requested an interview with DA Thomas Quinn III, and asked questions about the grand jury. A spokesperson did not respond to several email requests.
Alexander Polson, who reportedly disclosed the identity of a confidential informant to another gang member, is still employed by the department. An internal affairs investigation sustained a violation for releasing sensitive police information that may aid others. Oliveira, however, reduced it to a lesser violation of improperly performing or neglecting to perform assigned duties.
Polson left New Bedford to work for the Wareham Police Department for less than one year. He returned to New Bedford police in late 2023. The Light contacted Polson by email for comment, but did not hear back.
Response
The mayor’s statement on the series, which was also shared by NBPD on Facebook, received more than 150 comments, many of them critical of the city and police department.
The Light spoke with six current or former police department employees, all of whom expressed concerns about the troubled department and all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
“People are shocked,” said one officer. “What I’m reading is really boggling my mind, especially with allegations towards [Oliveira] and regarding federal agencies.”
Another officer said Oliveira is scheduled to issue promotions soon: “The chief in his current position shouldn’t be making promotions before he walks out the door. A reasonable person would say, let’s stabilize things before you start promoting people.”
“Guys want to restore the pride and integrity of that place,” he continued. “Leadership-wise, I don’t know. Jesus himself would have to come down and straighten it out.”
Police Union President Ofc. Lorenzo Gonzalez told The Light that he did not want to comment on The Globe investigation as the full series has not been released. (It appears the main series has already been released as online articles, but two podcast episodes remain to be released.)
Gonzalez, who has been union president for a few months, said the union will help or cooperate in “any way we can” with the FBI. He also gave credit to Oliveira.
“He has always maintained an open door communication with us with any issues we may have,” he said. “The two of us do work together to try and make things generally better overall for the department, which in turn would make things better for the city.”
He said he did not know who the internal affairs expert that the mayor announced is, or when the department hired him.
Mitchell criticized the news outlet’s reliance on the “accounts of convicted criminals and others of dubious credibility.” However, it is criminals, including at least one interviewed by The Globe, that the department often uses as confidential informants to build narcotics cases, make arrests, seize drugs, and prosecute individuals with the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.
These confidential informants feed information to New Bedford narcotics officers that is featured in search warrants written by those officers and given a stamp of approval by district court judges.
The reporting also features information from anonymous former and current New Bedford police officers. Mark Raposo is the only current officer who went on record with full attribution in the Spotlight series, where he shared his serious concerns with misconduct in the department, and what he saw as a failure or unwillingness to address it.
“For the mayor to say the Boston Globe went off of the testimony of criminals — Mark Raposo is not a criminal. Mark Raposo is a police officer,” a patrol officer told The Light.
The patrol officer also took aim at a 2023 review of the police department’s practices, saying it was not truly independent and is something the city can point to to make the department look good.
The mayor and department have cited the report many times — including in the mayor’s statement about the Spotlight series — as a positive example of how the police department is progressing and improving.
The city paid the consulting firm Jensen Hughes at least $120,000 to review problem areas and issue recommendations for reform. The city has kept on a consultant since then to help implement changes.
The results of the review, released in August 2023, found issues with declining staff levels and sexual harassment. It also criticized the department’s systems for handling officer misconduct, and said the confidential informant system presents a “real danger” if it is not closely monitored.
In 2024, The Light found the department had adopted some recommended reforms, but not others, including several recommendations on transparency and officer misconduct.
“They’re saying, ‘Hey, transparency,’ and the first thing the chief does is shred records,” the patrol officer said. This is in reference to the fact that Oliveira successfully filed an application with the state to shred internal affairs records, including his own, months after he became chief in 2021, The Globe reported.
Municipalities are not required to maintain records beyond certain time frames, which are established by records retention law. NBPD correctly noted that state law allows for the destruction of internal affairs records after seven years. The department said if an officer was still active and had internal affairs cases sustained older than 10 years, the files were not destroyed.
However, Oliveira, still a member of the department, had some of his own files destroyed. NBPD spokesperson Holly Huntoon referred The Light to the department’s page on the series, writing “the chief took no special privilege in this action.”
Public officials respond to New Bedford police allegations
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell posted a lengthy statement to the city’s Facebook page, which included criticisms that the Boston Globe reinforced “dated stereotypes” in its depiction of New Bedford. The statement is quoted in part here.
“Throughout my tenure in office, I have been committed to ensuring the safety of our residents. Thanks in no small part to the effectiveness of our police department, we have delivered on this commitment, as violent crime in our city has fallen 58% in the last decade. These gains would not have been possible if we didn’t embrace an ethic of constant improvement. In December 2021, we brought in a nationally renowned law enforcement consulting firm, Jensen Hughes, to perform a top-to-bottom assessment of the NBPD. This was not in response to a specific incident or external pressure, but an honest effort to determine how the department could get better at carrying out its core mission. Since it issued its recommendations two years ago, Jensen Hughes has remained on board to facilitate its implementation. … As the department transitions to new leadership with the previously announced retirement of Chief Oliveira, my priority will be to hire a chief who will sustain the public safety gains the city has made, while faithfully maintaining a high standard of professional accountability. That is what our city’s residents expect and deserve.”
City Council President Shane Burgo wrote in an email that he had no comment, “as the full scope of the situation is still unclear.”
“What I will say is that the hardworking men and women of the New Bedford Police Department dedicate themselves every day to keeping our residents safe. Their service and commitment to our community should not go unrecognized, and I have the utmost respect for those who wear the badge with integrity and honor. As always, our duty as elected officials is to serve the people of New Bedford, and I remain committed to ensuring that public trust in all of our institutions remains strong.”
State Rep. Antonio Cabral, in an emailed statement, said, “The recent reports in the Boston Globe regarding the New Bedford police department are deeply concerning. While this is a local matter, it highlights the broader need for stronger oversight and accountability. I hope the city and the police department take swift action to address these concerns.”
State Sen. Mark Montigny declined to comment, with a spokesperson deferring to the city and police department.
State Rep. Chris Markey and City Councilor Ryan Pereira said they would not comment on the findings until the rest of the series is out.
City Councilor Linda Morad declined comment.
State Rep. Chris Hendricks and City Councilors Maria Giesta, Derek Baptiste, Shawn Oliver, Brian Gomes (who leads the council’s public safety committee), Naomi Carney, Ian Abreu, Joseph Lopes, and Leo Choquette did not respond to requests for comment.
Longstanding issues with discipline and internal investigations
The internal affairs division, also called the Professional Standards Unit, is responsible for investigating officers who have complaints of alleged misconduct filed against them by citizens or fellow officers. In many cases, this unit is the first barrier that should address and prevent further misconduct.
Oliveira once led the unit. Now, it’s headed by Candido Trinidad. The Globe reported that Trinidad provided an “implausible story” to investigators who were looking into Santos’ serious misconduct, with the implication that he was protecting Santos. At the time, both worked in the marine unit, with Trinidad serving as supervisor.
“That should be an unblemished person that goes in there,” said a current officer. “[Oliveira] put [Trinidad] in charge of the integrity unit.”
The Light contacted Trinidad by phone and text for comment on Wednesday. He did not respond.
The actions of the internal affairs unit, which are approved or amended by the chief or deputy chief, can have a marked impact on an officer’s future. In the most extreme cases, internal affairs investigations can lead to termination or decertification by the state police oversight body, meaning an officer can no longer serve in Massachusetts.
A common refrain expressed by New Bedford officers has been that discipline depends on who you are and who you know in the department, The Light previously reported, and that discipline meted out by leadership is inconsistent. The Globe lays out a picture that Oliveira and others turned a blind eye to some misconduct.
“There is a sense in the department that when officers are found to have committed an offense, the discipline provided depends on whom the officer knows in the department, particularly the command staff,” read the Jensen Hughes report.
The consultant report recommended in 2023 that Oliveira develop a “disciplinary matrix” to ensure disciplinary actions are fair and consistent for everyone. Huntoon, department spokesperson, confirmed this week that the department still does not have a matrix. She said “conversations are still being had” with the union to develop one.
Two officers who spoke with The Light said many union members support and want a matrix.
Gonzalez, the union president, confirmed that the union and the chief’s office have been in contact about a matrix, but that nothing has been implemented yet. He would not comment further.
The 2023 review also found that internal investigations went on too long. While an investigation remains open, agencies can withhold the records from public disclosure through an exemption afforded by state records law. According to NBPD data, some internal investigations have lasted from months to more than a year before being closed, The Light previously reported.
Also warning of issues with discipline was the city’s former personnel head, Judith Keating, who sent a strongly worded email to Oliveira in 2023. In it, she took Oliveira to task over his alleged inaction in disciplining dispatchers.
“We have had this conversation several times and the workplace atmosphere has gone unaddressed for an unreasonable amount of time,” Keating wrote to Oliveira and other unnamed recipients, The Light previously reported.
The city refused to share the email, citing attorney-client privilege and other exemptions, but The Light obtained a copy last year. Keating wrote Oliveira has been “complacent” in disciplining two dispatchers, and that he was “putting the city at risk” by not acting on it.
Oliveira announced his retirement on Feb. 18. One month earlier, The Globe posted the first teaser trailer for its investigation.
In his retirement announcement, Oliveira praised the narcotics unit: “I must recognize the continued efforts of the past and present members of the Narcotics Division, where I spent a significant part of my career and was so proud to have worked with so many brave, deeply committed officers. The officers there have relentlessly taken record numbers of drugs and guns off the streets, helping to make New Bedford a more desirable community to live in.”
Oliveira’s retirement takes effect May 3. His current contract as chief, which took effect last summer, was set to expire in 2027.
He turns 55 in April and reaches the limit of how much one can earn in retirement. In Massachusetts, 80% is the maximum pension percentage for a public employee, which is calculated over an average of several years. His salary as of 2024 was about $209,000.
The police department and city retirement board did not have information on how much Oliveira will earn with his pension.
He joined the department in 1992, later working in narcotics and the professional standards division. He climbed his way up the ranks until he became deputy chief in 2016.
During his four-year term as chief, Oliveira dealt with hiring and retention issues. In October 2023, the police union voted no confidence in him, citing “serious problems” and “dissatisfaction” with his leadership, in part over staffing shortages and turnover. The union took the same action against Oliveira’s predecessor.
In his state of the city address in January, Mitchell, now in his 14th year as New Bedford’s mayor, heaped praise on Oliveira.
“Chief Oliveira is sowing the seeds to grow an organizational culture in the department that will make it effective in maintaining the safety of our residents, and commanding their trust, for years to come,” Mitchell said. “I ask you to join me in saluting the chief for not resting on his laurels and doing what is necessary to set the department up well in the long term.”
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
WHAT A JOKE! I ran into William “bill” bratton who was my city police chief,los Angeles, etc. He’s got a worldwide security business and was hired by new Bedford years ago to investigate the corrupt police force. Wow it was titled the bratton report and was done and submitted to new Bedford to make significant changes. Nothing happened. It exposed the corrupt and illegal things the nb police was doing for years. Bill couldn’t believe what is still going on there years later!! I spoke in detail with him and it was the same crap, different actors as it was years back?? New Bedford is running a away from this with good reason! Mayor Mitchell submitted the investigative article to the FBI? Ha what a joke they already have been following it. Same crap in good ole new Bedford let’s see where this goes
Where is the bratton report and why is Spillane and the rest of the light running from this story? We could go on and on about the nb police corruption let’s start reporting and following up not letting our of town reporters doing your job
Waste of money and time. The fix is ongoing. Shame on the officials that have been covering this up.
This is not good for the many good officers that work hard every day to make our city safe. To be put in bad light by the Mayor, Chief and the Professional Standard Unit.
Six current or former police department employees spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
DA Thomas Quinn III did not respond to several email requests
State Rep. Chris Hendricks – Did not respond.
City Councilor Maria Giesta – Did not respond.
City Councilor Derek Baptiste – Did not respond.
City Councilor Shawn Oliver – Did not respond.
City Councilor Brian Gomes (Public Safety Committee Chair) – Did not respond.
City Councilor Naomi Carney – Did not respond.
City Councilor Ian Abreu – Did not respond.
City Councilor Joseph Lopes – Did not respond.
City Councilor Leo Choquette – Did not respond.
NBPD Officer Alexander Polson – Did not respond to email request for comment.
NBPD Professional Standards Unit Head Candido Trinidad – Did not respond to phone and text requests for comment.
State Sen. Mark Montigny – Declined to comment;
City Council President Shane Burgo – No comment
City Councilor Linda Morad – Declined to comment.
State Rep. Chris Markey – Would not comment
City Councilor Ryan Pereira – Would not comment
First I want to start by saying just like the School department, the police officers are few, involved. The other men and women get shadows casted upon them, no fair. Thank you to the hard working police department.
Now, where is the investigation about the corruption in the school department. The School Committee knows what I’m tLking about. The Superintendent and the Mayor. Their are 5 bad seeds reported, emails turned over and nothing done. Problems still exist. Bulling, harassment and demeaning treatment of employees. We need to make them all accountable.
While this man was hired to investigate, he should investigate the school department, too.
True that makes sense, but that’s what they lack, “Common sense”.
We want answers, we pay taxes, we demand answers.