Audit of Canton police finds deficiencies in Karen Read investigation
The town of Canton released the findings of an independent audit into its police force and investigations on Tuesday, the same day jury empanelment began in Karen Read's second trial.
An independent company, 5 Stones Intelligence, was retained by the town in November 2024 to conduct a "thorough review" of "crime scene protocols, professional standards, accountability processes, organizational structure, and other operational aspects" of Canton Police.
The audit was ordered by a town committee after Read's first trial ended in a mistrial in the summer of 2024 and revealed elements of a possible poor quality police investigation. For example, Canton Police officers testified that when they responded to a 911 call for the death of John O'Keefe, they did not secure the crime scene, used solo cups to collect evidence, and a leaf blower to move snow to reveal potential evidence underneath.
The audit was extensive, and included a review of department morale, internal affairs investigations and more. The full copy can be found here.
Canton police audit findings
The audit did find inadequacies in Canton Police investigations in general, as well as the investigation into the death of John O'Keefe.
The report observed that first responding officers should have photographed O'Keefe's body at the crime scene in its original location before it was taken by ambulance. It also observed that all interviews of critical witnesses, including Jennifer McCabe, should have taken place at Canton Police headquarters and been recorded when a recording was consented to.
The report also found that Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police should have maintained a presence at 34 Fairview Road until a secondary search hours after the 911 call could be conducted.
Increased training recommended
The audit recommended increased training and equipping all patrol officers with crime scene kits.
Retired State Police veteran law enforcement expert Todd McGhee says it's on the towns to provide funding and training to police departments.
"If you haven't been trained, if you haven't had that experience, you figure it out on the fly, you don't always get it right to be frank and I think that's what we saw here and obviously that is an area the defense is going to use in the trial," said McGhee. "We tend to look at the fault of the police department, but we also have to look at the government structure and we have to understand that if the selectmen are not providing the resources for the police department, then that's a problem."
Auditors analyze Canton police surveillance video
Regarding video evidence, the report concluded that Canton Police should have requested and turned over all surveillance video of Karen Read's SUV to lead investigators.
Later in the report, the auditors analyze what has come to be known as the "inverted Sally port video" recorded inside Canton Police and presented at Read's first trial. It found that the mirrored image in the video is a "malfunction" that exists in at least three other cameras in the town of Canton, and the issue is not isolated to only Canton Police cameras.
As Read's second trial gets underway with jury selection, neither Read's defense nor prosecutors have indicated whether they plan to use any elements of this report as evidence in her second trial.
Canton police officers interviewed
The report also found that there is low morale on the force due to negative public sentiment.
"I love this town, and they used to love us too," one officer told auditors. "Those days were great, but they are gone."
According to the report, officers say certain "influencers" are spreading false narratives about officers involved in the Read case and the Sandra Birchmore investigation.
"No one in this town will care about us until one of us gets murdered, even then half the town will probably celebrate that," an officer is quoted as saying.
A community meeting is scheduled for Saturday from 2-5 p.m. at Canton High School to present the audit to the community.
