LAWRENCE — Provisional Police Chief William Castro has been placed on administrative leave after his credentials to serve as a police officer were suspended by a state commission for being “untruthful” in a report about a motor vehicle pursuit.
Also, Castro’s “hiring and certification practices” for certain police officers have been called into question, according to the March 21 suspension notice from the state’s Peace Officer Standard and Training Commission.
The POST commission found by a “preponderance of evidence” the suspension was warranted and “is in the best interest of the safety and welfare of the public.”
The letter stated as a result of the suspension Castro cannot make any arrests “or otherwise perform police duties or functions.”
The suspension immediately went into effect when Castro and the LPD received the letter Thursday. A copy was also sent to Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker.
Mayor Brian DePena, through a spokesperson, issued a statement late Thursday night saying Castro was on administrative leave until further notice.
Another of DePena’s political allies, Lt. Melix Bonilla, was named provisional police chief, according to the statement.
POST’s mission “is to improve policing and enhance public confidence in law enforcement by implementing a fair process for mandatory certification, discipline, and training” for all police officers in Massachusetts.
Police officers in both the Lawrence patrol and superior officer’s union issued a statement Friday saying they are profoundly concerned with details from the POST Commission regarding Castro.
“We maintain unwavering trust in the POST Commission’s integrity, expertise, and commitment as custodians of transparency and public confidence within the Commonwealth,” according to the statement.
Castro was named acting police chief in October 2023, succeeding Police Capt. Michael McCarthy, who had been acting chief since January 2023.
At that time, DePena described Castro as “an accomplished public safety professional with over 25 years of law enforcement experience.”
In February 2023, Castro resigned from his job as an Essex County correctional officer and went to work as DePena’s chief of staff at City Hall.
Police said on the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 2, Castro was involved in a pursuit of a car driven by an individual who attempted to cash a bad check at a city credit union.
In a city-issued, black, full-size Chevy Tahoe, Castro pursued a Mercedes sedan during the chase, police said. According to video of the chase viewed by The Eagle-Tribune, Castro drove, in the opposite direction, up on a city sidewalk near the central bridge in pursuit of the Mercedes.
The POST commission wrote in Castro’s suspension letter they “received sufficient evidence that the respondent engaged in a motor-vehicle pursuit in violation of the policies or the Lawrence Police Department, that he was untruthful in his subsequent written report regarding that pursuit, and that he and/or his appointing authority failed to independently investigate whether there was a policy violation or report the same to the Commission.”
“Also, credible reports to the Commission have called into question the Respondent’s hiring and certification practices concerning certain candidates for employment as law enforcement officers for the Lawrence Police Department,” according to the letter.
The letter did not name the candidates at issue.
In early February, several superior officers spoke publicly before the Lawrence City Council, stressing the state of the LPD “was bad.”
The remarks from members of the Lawrence Police Superior Officers’ Association coincided with DePena’s appearance before the council that night for his State of The City address.
Sgt. Michael Simard, union president, said Castro was not the union’s choice for the next chief. He noted the LPSOA is comprised of officers with advanced educational and law degrees, many of whom have worked decades in department.
“Mr. Castro’s qualifications, to the extent that any can be ascertained, are devoid of the substance, merit and competence required to serve as Chief of Police of the Lawrence Police Department, or any other department,” the LPSOA said in a statement in February.
On Friday, Simard said he is pleased DePena chose Bonilla as acting chief and that the union fully supports him.
“We are confident the mayor will complete his search for a new permanent chief and choose a qualified member of our department,” Simard said.
Now an ally to DePena, Bonilla was a previous supporter and campaign manager for Mayor William Lantigua.
On Sept. 30, 2014, Bonilla was acquitted of felony charges associated with his involvement in the swap of a dozen city owned cars in 2010.
Bonilla was found not guilty of extortion, fraud and violation of the state’s procurement law after an Essex County jury deliberated for a little over six hours. The trial in Salem Superior Court spanned three days.
The not guilty verdicts cleared Bonilla of any wrongdoing in the swap of 12 vehicles seized in police investigations for four Chevrolet Impalas with Bernardo Pena, the owner of Santo Domingo Motors in Lawrence.
Castro could not be reached for comment for this story.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter @EagleTribJill.