The police chief in Canton, Massachusetts, has told town officials she will retire this summer.
The Canton Select Board announced Tuesday night that Chief Helena Rafferty is planning to retire on June 30 when her contract ends.
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“As the first female police chief in our town’s history, Chief Rafferty has been a trailblazer and earned the respect of her colleagues, town officials and residents alike,” the board said in a statement.
Town leaders noted that Rafferty has been with the Canton Police Department since 1989.
She has led the department since June of 2022 — just months after the body of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe was found outside a Fairview Road home.
Rafferty’s tenure as chief has been marked by the controversial case against Karen Read, O’Keefe’s girlfriend who has been charged with his murder. The select board renewed her contract during her first trial last year, and the news of her retirement came the same day as opening statements in her retrial.
Massachusetts State Police led the investigation into Read, but Canton officers took part in the days after O’Keefe’s death and some testified at Read’s first trial. The department was conflicted off the case, as Officer Kevin Albert is the brother of Brian Albert, the owner of the property where O’Keefe was found.
Kevin Albert was ultimately suspended three days without pay after the department looked into a night of drinking described in testimony by Michael Proctor, the disgraced lead investigator later fired by the state police.
The Read case led to an audit of the Canton Police Department that ended this month, with investigative firm 5 Stones Intelligence releasing its findings in a 200-page report.
“Implementing these improvements is a top priority for the department, and many of the recommendations have already been put in place,” Rafferty said of the recommendations. “Bringing the totality of recommendations to fruition will necessitate financial support from the town.”
