NEPBA Statement of Support for the Lawrence Police Superior Officers Association
Nov 17, 2025
The New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA) stands firmly with the Lawrence Police Superior Officers Association (LPSOA) as they continue to seek clarity, fairness, and action from the City of Lawrence regarding multiple hostile work environment complaints filed by superior officers.
Throughout 2024 and into early 2025, several LPSOA members submitted formal complaints outlining retaliation and hostile workplace conditions. After an extended period of inaction, the City informed the Union that it had retained outside investigator Attorney Djuna Perkins of Dedham, Massachusetts. According to the information provided to the Union, Attorney Perkins conducted initial interviews with a limited number of department members and issued preliminary notices of allegations to at least four individuals. Members of the LPSOA who were interviewed confirmed reviewing portions of the investigator’s initial findings and engaged in follow-up conversations with Attorney Perkins as she continued gathering information.
The Union was later informed that Attorney Perkins had requested interviews with members of the police administration in order to continue her work. Shortly thereafter, the City instructed her to halt the investigation. According to information relayed to the Union, this directive was tied to a City-implemented spending freeze. In August 2025, the Union was further advised that the decision to stop the investigation came directly from the Mayor’s Office.
While the spending freeze ended following approval of the City’s budget, the investigation has not resumed. The City has provided no updates, no explanation, and no indication that it intends to complete the process, even as multiple union members continue to report ongoing retaliation and hostile working conditions.
Over the past several months, the LPSOA has made repeated written and verbal requests for information regarding the status of the investigation. Aside from two brief email acknowledgements from individual councilors, the City has not responded. Union outreach to the full City Council similarly yielded no substantive action or follow-up from the Mayor’s Office. Some councilors informed the Union president that the only recourse would be litigation because, in their view, “the Mayor won’t do anything.”
As of the date of this statement, the investigation remains unfinished, and the City has offered no timeline or plan for resuming or completing the work that its own chosen investigator began. This continued inaction leaves the underlying complaints unresolved and raises legitimate concerns about the City’s commitment to providing a safe, fair, and retaliation-free workplace for its police supervisors.
NEPBA is committed to ensuring that every member, regardless of city politics or administrative delays, receives the legally required protections and the basic respect owed to public safety professionals. We urge the City of Lawrence to immediately clarify the status of this investigation, resume its completion without delay, and reaffirm its obligation to maintain a workplace free from retaliation, discrimination, and hostile conditions.
NEPBA will continue to support the LPSOA and its members as they seek transparency, accountability, and a resolution that reflects the seriousness of the issues raised.
