Per Town Manager Norman Khumalo, the public hearing for suspended Sergeant Tim Brennan has been rescheduled to Friday, January 19, 2024 at 5:00 PM at the Hopkinton Senior Center. A winter storm moved in overnight, making driving conditions dangerous, and forcing the closure of Town Hall and the Senior Center.
The Select Board intends to conduct a Loudermill Hearing. No witnesses, other than Brennan, will be allowed to speak or present evidence.
The hearing is open to the public, and will take place at the Hopkinton Senior Center. Brennan, through his Attorney Daniel Fogarty, is expected to present a vigorous defense.
Separately, several letters of support for Brennan have been sent to the Select Board in advance of the meeting. A roundup of HopNews’ coverage is provided below.
- Timeline and Commentary on the Porter/Brennan Controversy
- Police Chief Joseph Bennett Recommends Termination for Brennan
- Letters to the Hopkinton Select Board
- Letter to the Select Board: Reinstate Tim Brennan
- Letter to the Editor: Dismiss Sgt. Tim Brennan
- Pastor to Select Board: Recommendation of Officer Brennan
- DV Victim to Select Board: Brennan an “Empathetic Protector”
- Trendel to Select Board: I Trust Tim Brennan
- Babbin’s on Brennan Matter: “This is an Embarrassment of Management”
- Scanlon Submits Letter to SB in Support of Brennan, Signed by 639 Members of Public
I can’t help but wonder how any HPD policy violations have been handled in the past. Were they made public? Have any officers at the HPD been terminated for policy violations? Chief Bennett has released the policy violations of Officer Brennan as they pertain to the Porter investigation. I am curious if other officers have committed policy violations and/or any other inappropriate behavior that the chief was made aware of, and if so, how were those situations handled. I do believe that Officer Brennan was put in a very difficult position and that needs to be taken into consideration.