BCAT News

As a member of the Middlesex Chiefs Association, Chief Browne supports this statement and welcomes any questions from the Burlington community on the operations of the Burlington Police Department.

The statement reads as follows: 

The chiefs of the Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association condemn the disturbing violence involved in the death of Tyre Nichols in police custody in Memphis, Tennessee.

The 54 municipal police departments represented by the Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association work daily to earn and build trust within their communities, and our members are both saddened and horrified by what occurred in Memphis. 

The violence depicted in body camera footage shared by Memphis Police Friday is in complete opposition to the training Massachusetts police receive in use of force, and it is in complete opposition to the expectations our departments all share for the behavior of our officers. 

We agree with our colleague, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, who said the violence depicted in body camera footage “defies humanity.”

The chiefs who comprise the Middlesex County Chiefs of Police Association believe that no one is above the law, including and especially those sworn to protect the communities that we serve. We expect the legal process to run its course as this incident is investigated and prosecuted.

While we always encourage everyone to remain peaceful while reacting to the video footage, we nonetheless share in the outrage felt by many that those sworn to protect the public could behave in such a way.

We pledge to continue dedicating our departments to earning community trust, and to rebuilding the trust that will be lost as a result of the actions of the officers involved in this incident. We pledge to adhere to our training, and we pledge to uphold the expectations of our community members for compassionate, professional policing that treats community members with the utmost dignity and respect.