First Amendment Lawsuit Against BPD
Long-Time Decorated Employee of the Boston Police Department Sues the Police Commissioner For Violating His First Amendment Rights
Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) Appointment is Not Incompatible With Leadership in the Commonwealth’s Largest Municipal Police Department
Today, Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Mr. Eddy Chrispin, a 25-year decorated veteran member of the Boston Police Department (“BPD”) alleging that he was unconstitutionally demoted because he accepted the Attorney General’s appointment to the POST Commission, a statewide oversight body aimed at increasing community trust in law enforcement.
Mr. Chrispin, a Black Haitian man with a deep commitment to police reform and better community-police relations, joined BPD in 1999 to effect positive change in his community. Mr. Chrispin was promoted numerous times during his 25-year tenure before achieving the rank of Deputy Superintendent in 2021, a command staff position. Throughout that tenure, Mr. Chrispin was also a staunch and outspoken advocate for increased transparency and accountability within the department, as well as improved employment opportunities for officers of color. From 2019 to 2021, Mr. Chrispin served as President of the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers (“MAMLEO”).
Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Mr. Chrispin served on the Boston Police Reform Task Force appointed by then Mayor Walsh and presented recommendations to create an independent Office of Police Accountability and Transparency and to formalize the departments commitment to diversity and inclusion. That same year, the Massachusetts Legislature created the POST Commission as part of a multi-pronged effort to rebuild community trust in law enforcement. For the first time, it created a certification system, mandatory standards that officers must meet to maintain their job. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell appointed Mr. Chrispin to the POST Commission in May 2024. But shortly thereafter, Commissioner Cox demoted Mr. Chrispin from command staff to Sergeant Detective because of the appointment, telling Mr. Chrispin that he “cannot serve two masters.”
Today’s lawsuit challenges that action as unlawful under the First Amendment and state laws protecting freedom of speech and association. “I was deeply honored to accept Attorney General Campbell’s appointment to the POST Commission which allows me to weigh-in on cases of misconduct and enlighten POST on matters of policing that come from firsthand lived experience as a Haitian-immigrant, a Black man, and a veteran member of law enforcement,” said Mr. Chrispin. He further noted that other high-ranking officers, such as the Framingham Police Chief, serve on the Commission.
“Massachusetts finally moved the needle on police reform by enacting legislation that created a state agency to enhance police accountability and transparency,” said Sophia Hall, Deputy Litigation Director at Lawyers for Civil Rights. “But the Commonwealth cannot achieve meaningful police reform with obstinate leadership at the largest municipal police department in the Commonwealth. Police accountability is not at odds with policing.”
“Mr. Chrispin has dedicated his whole career to doing the right thing and working ‘within the system.’ No police officer should be penalized for answering the call of duty as he chose to do. We look forward to vindicating Mr. Chrispin’s constitutional rights,” said Attorney Andrew R. Dennington, Partner at Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford, LLP.
The complaint is available here.