Williamstown Select Board Favors Investigation of Police Lawsuit Allegations

The Williamstown  Select Board on Monday agreed to pursue an independent investigation into allegations of racism and sexual misconduct in the Police Department.

iBerkshires.com reports that the board struggled with how that investigation and a parallel effort to re-envision policing in the town of 7,700 will fit into a timeline for replacing the chief of police.

The board held a special meeting to gather for the first time since mid-December announcements that then-Chief Kyle Johnson was resigning and the plaintiff in a lawsuit raising those allegations was dismissing the action. The panel faced a number of complicated questions embedded in its single-item agenda, which advertised a discussion of "Next steps for the Police Department."

After more than two hours of discussion among the five board members and another 40 minutes of public comment, it was apparent those steps will involve four main tasks: the search for Johnson's replacement, an assessment of the town's policing needs, a review of police policies and the probe into allegations that stretch back for more than a decade.

Read the full story now on iBerkshires.com now.