NEW BEDFORD — After complaints dating back years and at least two official investigations into allegations of harassment and other inappropriate behavior, New Bedford Police Sgt. Samuel Ortega has been issued a written reprimand.
Police Chief Paul Oliveira issued a statement on the disciplinary action Monday following The Light’s investigation last week into complaints made by three women. According to a 221-page report, obtained through a public records request after the city tried to withhold it, an outside investigator concluded Ortega had violated the city’s anti-harassment policy on two allegations. The investigator recommended Ortega complete online anti-harassment training, which is already required of all city staff.
After declining to comment on The Light’s initial investigation or respond to more than a dozen emailed questions, Chief Oliveira said that “after a thorough and lengthy investigation,” Ortega received a reprimand.
“The New Bedford Police Department is committed to promoting a professional workplace. The department takes all accusations of wrongdoing seriously; however, we must also respect due process regarding complaints against our employees,” he said. “Once the investigation is complete, if discipline is warranted, it is handed out in a manner that is commensurate with the offense and with respect to the totality of the circumstances.”
The Light requested a copy of the reprimand on Monday afternoon, and asked when it was written and issued to Ortega. Chief Oliveira did not immediately respond.
According to a former internal affairs investigator, a written reprimand is essentially a notice that is placed in an officer’s personnel file stating the misconduct happened, and can be used against the officer down the line if there are subsequent incidents.
The city’s hired investigator concluded that Ortega violated the city’s anti-harassment policy on two allegations among the several brought forth by the complainants. Chief Oliveira said NBPD forwarded the findings of the investigation to the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, which oversees the state’s law enforcement agencies and has the authority to decertify officers due to misconduct.
But he has not answered other questions about Ortega’s conduct or the city’s investigation.
“The conduct at the heart of this matter is unacceptable,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell in a statement Monday. “It represents a failure to adhere to City government’s organizational values, and there is no room for it in our workplace. Allegations of gender discrimination or similar unprofessional conduct will be treated seriously and investigated thoroughly.”
A day after The Light published its investigation, a police captain sent a department-wide email ordering officers to complete the required online sexual harassment and anti-discrimination training by the end of this week.
Ortega was assigned online sexual harassment and anti-discrimination training in May of 2022, but did not complete it until late February of this year after he was investigated.
The Light asked Chief Oliveira if Ortega would continue to serve in his current position as a supervisor of several programs that NBPD runs with community and state partners, such as the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. He did not immediately respond.
The Light reported last week that police staff and people who work with NBPD said they have left their positions on specialized units or avoided shifts after feeling uncomfortable with the sergeant’s behavior, according to a report from the city.
The DA’s office and NBPD offer the LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) program, which diverts certain people who commit lower level offenses from court to treatment. BCDA spokesperson Gregg Miliote said by email last week that the office does not have “first hand knowledge about the facts and circumstances related to this matter,” regarding The Light’s investigation, and referred The Light to the city and police department.
A DMH spokesperson did not return a request for comment. Ortega supervises a mental health outreach team, funded by DMH, that responds to people in New Bedford who are in crisis.
Ortega was previously investigated in the summer of 2016 after a different woman with whom he worked — a security officer at a local high school — filed a complaint against him alleging verbal abuse and harassment spanning three years. At that time, he was in a different supervisor position: overseeing the city’s school resource officers.
During that internal affairs investigation, other allegations came to light, including concerns with how Ortega behaved around female students. Investigators ultimately ruled the complaint and allegations were exonerated, unfounded or not sustained — the last meaning there was not enough evidence to prove or disprove certain statements.
However, Oliveira, then the deputy chief, signed an order for Ortega’s transfer from his SRO supervisor position to a temporary assignment in communications. The order was dated days before the new school year was set to start in 2016, and about one month after investigators interviewed witnesses about Ortega’s conduct.
Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.
The paper should request the departments disciplinary policy which should have recommended disciplinary actions based on the type of issue and the number of offensive. The federal government uses “The Douglas Factors” – a series of questions to help with understanding the seriousness of the behavior and the persons intent. If this is not in place the that should be part of the corrective actions that the mayor puts in place.
The new Bedford police force has been corrupt for years and nothing has been done! Remember the Bratton report years back! Wow! Nb’s finest were identified as a crooked, corrupt force who were receiving bribes and other numerous unethical behavior. Members of their narcotics squad who own bars and have residences and business in the Caribbean? Wow sounds Normal to me! Do some real research new Bedford light !!