Investigation of Braintree Police Department Evidence Room

A recently released report by Kroll determined that the evidence room of the Braintree Police Department had been mishandled for years. The findings upended dozens of criminal cases, including some that had already sent defendants to jail. An excerpt of the coverage by The Patriot Ledger in Boston is below with a link to the full article:

By Fred Hanson and Neal Simpson

A blistering new report faults current and former top Braintree police brass with failing to properly oversee the work of an evidence officer who later killed herself after it was discovered that cash, drugs and guns were missing from the department’s evidence room.

The report, completed by a risk-management firm hired by the town, found that retired Police Chief Russell Jenkins and Deputy Chief Wayne Foster failed for years to audit the department’s cluttered and disorganized evidence room and later ignored signs that Susan Zopatti, the officer responsible for overseeing the room, was struggling with alcoholism and other personal issues.

“Chief Jenkins and Deputy Chief Foster repeatedly failed to supervise and implement the department’s rules and regulations by not conducting the required audits and inspections of the evidence room,” the report by Kroll, the risk management firm, stated.

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