Canton Police Officer Kevin Albert suspended without pay for 3 shifts following internal investigation
CANTON – Canton Police detective Kevin Albert was suspended without pay for three eight-hour shifts following an internal investigation into his conduct.
Kevin Albert is the brother of Brian Albert, the homeowner at 34 Fairview Road at the time that Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe's body was found on the front lawn in January 2022. Albert was not a detective on the case given his family's connection to it but has been accused by Karen Read's attorneys of misbehavior and a conflict of interest with investigators on the case.
During O'Keefe's former girlfriend's murder trial, potentially problematic behavior by Kevin Albert was revealed as a part of testimony. Karen Read's trial later ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury. A second trial is scheduled for January 2025.
Trooper Michael Proctor's texts
State Trooper Michael Proctor, who is also currently facing ongoing disciplinary action within state police, testified as the lead investigator on the case during Read's trial. In addition to offensive text messages he sent about the defendant, Proctor revealed in text messages that he and Kevin Albert had been working in conjunction on a case when Proctor's texts from Albert suggested Albert had so much to drink that he forgot his gun and badge in Proctor's cruiser.
This prompted an internal investigation within Canton Police into the allegations.
Department policies violated
In a 19-page report with nearly 200 additional pages of evidence, Canton Chief Helena Rafferty determined that Albert behaved in a way that was unbecoming of a police officer and violated department policies about alcohol consumption or possession on the job.
However, the report exonerated Albert of criminal conduct or misuse of his firearm. Despite texts to Proctor about wondering if he left his gun in Proctor's cruiser, Albert told investigators he was only joking and that he had properly returned his gun to Canton Police that evening after a trip to Tree House Brewing, dinner, and some drinks with Proctor while on a trip to Sandwich for a cold case investigation.
At a select board meeting in early September, Chief Rafferty revealed that Albert had accepted his punishment. He is now back on the job.