BostonGlobe.com25%
Stoughton police chief who ordered Birchmore probe says town manager is trying to oust her without cause 32%
By Laura Crimaldi0%
7/23/2026, 12:41:24 AM
Topics: Police Misconduct, Government, Legal Affairs, Law Enforcement, Public Administration, Workplace Harassment, Discrimination
Keywords: Sandra Birchmore, Stoughton Police, Donna Mcnamara, Matthew Farwell, William Farwell, Robert C Devine, Thomas J Calter, James Oconnor, Massachusetts, Police Chief, Town Manager, Harassment Complaint, Sexism, Internal Affairs Investigation, Death Investigation, Criminal Charges, Fbi, Trial, Peace Officer Standards And Training Commission, Decertification, Lawsuit
BS Summary: This article contains 20 faulty reasoning types, including Halo Effect, Availability Heuristic, and Hasty Generalization, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 26.5% saturation with 228 hits. Analysis detected 970 faulty-reasoning hits from 861 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 41.2% and a BS Rank of 32% (14,062 of 20,518 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 68.50% of the article peer group.
Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara has led the force through years of tumult following the death of Sandra Birchmore, 23, a former participant in a police department youth program who was found dead in her Canton apartment on Feb.
4, 2021.
The Stoughton Police Department — tarnished by the Sandra Birchmore case and other scandals — faced fresh turmoil Wednesday as its first female chief publicly accused the town’s chief executive of trying to oust her without cause and an acting leader was installed to head the police agency.
Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara learned Wednesday through news reports that one of her deputies, James O’Connor, had been installed as acting chief, her lawyer said.
A news release from Stoughton Town Manager Thomas J.
Calter announced O’Connor’s appointment, but made no mention of McNamara, who became acting chief in 2016 and was sworn in as chief the following year.
Calter’s release said town officials do not “publicly discuss or disclose information” concerning personnel matters to “preserve all parties’ privacy interests and due process rights.”
Calter did not respond Wednesday to messages seeking comment.
McNamara’s lawyer said her client filed a harassment complaint against Calter with the Select Board on Monday.
The complaint accuses Calter of “engaging in a pattern of gossip and disparagement” against McNamara, her lawyer, Leah Marie Barrault said in a statement.
She further said Calter has directed “misogynistic words and actions” at McNamara and is discriminating against her because he “doesn’t want a female police chief.”
“There’s no reason to want to get rid of her except for her gender because she’s done nothing wrong,” Barrault said.
McNamara has led the department through years of tumult following the death of Birchmore, 23, a former participant in a Stoughton police youth program who was found dead in her Canton apartment on Feb.
4, 2021.
The state medical examiner initially ruled Birchmore killed herself and no criminal charges were filed in state court even as a Stoughton police internal affairs investigation found three officers violated department rules and regulations in their interactions with her.
Barrault said McNamara’s decision to order the internal affairs investigation unearthed critical information about Birchmore’s death.
She also credited her with bringing fresh attention to the case by holding a 2022 news conference announcing its findings against three officers: Matthew Farwell, his twin brother, William, and their mentor Robert C.
Devine.
William Farwell and Devine do not face any criminal charges.
In April, the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner amended its finding that Birchmore killed herself and changed her death certificate to list her manner of death as “undetermined.”
Barrault said Calter initiated action against McNamara on July 7 when he summoned her to Town Hall, threatened her with termination if she did not resign, and told her not to report to work.
Her client has not been placed on administrative leave, Barrault said.
Calter told McNamara a complaint had been made about her, but did not reveal who complained or describe the allegations, Barrault said.
McNamara followed Calter’s order to stay away from work even as he called and texted her “virtually every day” since the July 7 meeting, Barrault said.
McNamara joined Stoughton police as a patrol officer in 2001 and rose through the ranks.
She recently completed the first year of her third contract as chief, a three-year agreement, Barrault said.
She said her client has never been disciplined or given a negative evaluation and highlighted her work revamping department procedures for processing evidence, facilitating its shift to a regional public safety dispatch service, and maintaining its state accreditation.
Barrault said McNamara encountered sexism as she advanced professionally.
“Every time she was promoted, men were not happy and she battled through it,” Barrault said.
Calter has served as Stoughton’s town manager since 2022.
He previously worked as the town administrator in Kingston, his hometown and one of the communities he served as member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2007 to 2018.
He resigned as town administrator in Kingston in 2020 before his contract expired, according to reports by the radio station WATD 95.9 and WickedLocal.com.
Even before Birchmore’s death the Stoughton Police Department developed a reputation for scandals.
The force has faced other state and federal criminal prosecutions of superior and rank-and-file officers and infighting that escalated into civil litigation.
McNamara’s predecessor as chief, Paul Shastany, resigned from the department following an earlier scandal involving Devine.
Shastany wanted Devine fired over the incident in which he directed a subordinate to investigate harassing messages he received as he tried to end an extramarital affair
A police probe concluded Devine had been “untruthful by omission,” but Stoughton officials feared civil service laws would protect Devine and could possibly keep him in police leadership.
Shastany left the department a short time later.
In December, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission voted to decertify Devine, permanently barring him from serving as a police officer in the state.
He has filed a lawsuit challenging the decertification.
Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com.
Follow her @lauracrimaldi.
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