[MA] Batterer Lt. Murphy is back! Mayor calls him a "coward".

...“The judge said: ‘You are guilty. But I’m going to give you an opportunity to prove yourself to me’ ... Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino says the Boston police lieutenant [David Murphy] who is serving 18 months court-ordered probation for punching his girlfriend off a Baltimore barstool is a “coward”... “His wife was sitting alone at first and then he came to join her ... then I just saw him hit his wife with a fist,” a bar manager who was named in the police report told the Herald last night. Murphy “arched his right hand back and punched the white female in the face,” the police report said. “She fell to the ground after falling off the stool at the bar... The white male fled..." - Murphy and the department negotiated his punishment and agreed he would receive a 30-day suspension, but 25 days would not be served if he kept out of trouble for a year... Prosecutors and judges need to put an end to the inside game that favors batterers with badges... Some cases never come to light because fellow officers look the other way. And spouses often refuse to testify, fearing possible physical or economic consequences... Last year, the journal Police Quarterly cited several studies in which 24 percent to 41 percent of male officers and their wives reported some level of physical violence in their relationship. That's roughly three times the national average... Murphy, who earned $169,469 on a base salary of $78,436 last year, has been on paid leave since the April assault...
EXCERPTS FROM 2 MAY 2007 ARTICLES:

A veteran Boston police lieutenant [David Murphy] with 21 years on the force was stripped of his gun and badge after being busted in Baltimore for allegedly punching his girlfriend in the face so hard that he knocked her off a bar stool... "A witness states -- "Suddenly the white male arched his right hand and punched the white female in the face. She fell off the stool and fell to the ground. The witness called police and the white male fled"... Murphy was apprehended running from the scene... The alleged victim refused medical attention [for her "busted bottom lip"] and said she did not want to press charges... He was released on $5,000 bond the day of the arrest... the alleged victim defended him. "The police report is wrong. It was all a big misunderstanding"... The arrest in Baltimore is the second time Murphy has been accused of beating the woman. A Weymouth police official who asked not to be named said Monday that police responded to the couple's home on Rosement Road Oct. 28 after Murphy allegedly threw an object at the woman, causing lacerations on her forehead. Murphy was charged with assault and battery... but the charges were dismissed over prosecutors' objections because the victim did not want to pursue charges... Also yesterday, a Boston police 911 operator was arraigned on murder charges after she allegedly stabbed her husband to death in their Mattapan home Saturday...
Sources:
- BPD veteran accused of slugging girlfriend: Cop arrested after Sox game in Baltimore, Boston Herald, Michele McPhee, May 8, 2007
- Boston police officer relieved of duty after alleged assault, Boston Globe, Suzanne Smalley, May 7, 2007


THIS MONTH:

Cop gets light punishment for alleged galpal punch
Boston Herald
O'Ryan Johnson
December 21, 2007
[Excerpts] A veteran BPD lieutenant - busted earlier this year for allegedly punching his girlfriend off a barstool then running from Baltimore cops - will return to work after a five-day suspension, a punishment that outraged battered women's advocates... It was the second time Lt. David Murphy was investigated by the department for domestic violence. The first case was "unsustained" or not proven, police Commissioner Edward Davis said. In the most recent case, the BPD found Murphy in violation of two rules gave him a 30-day suspension, but 25 days of that suspension are "held in abeyance" and will not be served if he keeps out of trouble for a year. Davis said he is disheartened by the finding, but with no witness cooperation, the department had little legal room to maneuver...
[Full article here]

BPD: We can’t fire busted cop
Commissioner says hands are tied in domestic violence case
The Boston Herald
By O’Ryan Johnson
December 23, 2007 -
[Excerpts] Boston police Lt. David Murphy will return to work this week with his gun on his hip, but he will still be on court-ordered probation for punching his girlfriend off a Baltimore barstool and running from cops who chased him down. Baltimore authorities struck down a statement by the Boston Police Department, which earlier this week said the criminal case against Murphy was dropped... A judge issued a “probation before judgment” finding against Murphy in May. The finding ordered him to serve 18 months’ probation and to undergo counseling. “The judge said: ‘You are guilty. But I’m going to give you an opportunity to prove yourself to me,’ ” Burns said. “He was found guilty.” If Murphy stays out of trouble during the probation, he will have no criminal record for the second-degree assault charge... Murphy and the department negotiated his punishment and agreed he would receive a 30-day suspension, but 25 days would not be served if he kept out of trouble for a year... Murphy, who earned $169,469 on a base salary of $78,436 last year, has been on paid leave since the April assault. Davis said department lawyers told him if the BPD fired Murphy, there was a sizable risk they would lose on appeal to the state Civil Service Commission and be forced to pay Murphy thousands in lost pay and overtime... Murphy and his girlfriend, whose name is being withheld by the Herald, were in Baltimore to watch the Red Sox... “His wife was sitting alone at first and then he came to join her ... then I just saw him hit his wife with a fist,” a bar manager who was named in the police report told the Herald last night. Murphy “arched his right hand back and punched the white female in the face,” the police report said. “She fell to the ground after falling off the stool at the bar... The white male fled to Marriott Water Front . . . where he was arrested for the assault.” Boston Police Department’s internal affairs division previously had investigated Murphy, a 21-year veteran of the force, for domestic abuse relating to an alleged assault on a girlfriend in late 2006. That case was unsustained because the alleged victim would not testify at a department hearing, Davis said. The criminal case was dropped for the same reason.
[Full article here]
Menino: Hub cop who hit his girlfriend a ‘coward’
By O’Ryan Johnson
Monday, December 24, 2007
[Excerpts] Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino says the Boston police lieutenant who is serving 18 months court-ordered probation for punching his girlfriend off a Baltimore barstool is a “coward.” “(Police Commissioner Edward) Davis has assured the mayor that he will do everything in his power to hold this coward accountable for his actions,” said Menino’s spokeswoman... “Murphy will have a criminal record but not a criminal conviction at the end of his probation term,” said Margaret T. Burns, director of communications with the Baltimore city state’s attorney’s office. “The guilty finding will not stand after his successful completion of the probation”...
[Full article here]

Twisted system reinstates Hub cop
By Boston Herald editorial staff
December 26, 2007
[Excerpts] Boston Mayor Tom Menino has called the police lieutenant now serving 18 months of probation for hitting his girlfriend a “coward” and is demanding that he be held accountable for his actions. But in the upside-down world of Civil Service, the city will have an awfully hard time doing anything to Lt. David Murphy that comes close to resembling accountability. Yes, it appears Murphy has the law on his side. But we recommend that he hold himself accountable - and spare the city the aggravation and expense by finding another line of work... A Baltimore judge issued a “probation before judgment” finding, ordering Murphy to serve 18 months’ probation and undergo counseling. If he does so successfully he won’t have a conviction on his record...
[Full article here]

Twisted system indeed
Letters to the Editor
By Richard Zemeitus
Thursday, December 27, 2007
[Excerpts] Not only does he get suspended with pay, he gets to go back to work after serving a mere five days of a whopping 30-day suspension. It’s an insult to law-abiding men and women alike who have to look for protection from abuse from an abuser. The judge in Baltimore said he was guilty and Mayor Tom Menino called him a coward, but the law only applies to those who can’t hide behind a badge and a union.
[Full article here]

Batterers with badges
Editorial
Boston Globe
December 30, 2007
[Excerpts] Police officers who physically abuse their spouses or intimate partners too often elude justice. That certainly would apply to Boston Police Lieutenant David Murphy, who returned to work last week after spending eight months on paid administrative leave... The officer's conviction for second-degree assault will be expunged when he fulfills the conditions of his probation. The plea deal was sadly typical of domestic violence cases involving police officers. Prosecutors and judges need to put an end to the inside game that favors batterers with badges. Strong federal laws forbid anyone, including police officers, to own a gun if convicted of a misdemeanor or felony domestic violence offense. But officers routinely avoid such career-ending consequences through favorable plea bargains. Some cases never come to light because fellow officers look the other way. And spouses often refuse to testify, fearing possible physical or economic consequences. Yet police are no strangers to domestic violence, on or off the job. Last year, the journal Police Quarterly cited several studies in which 24 percent to 41 percent of male officers and their wives reported some level of physical violence in their relationship. That's roughly three times the national average. The Murphy case is especially galling because the plea deal appears to handcuff Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, who would like nothing more than to fire the officer... There is a long history of arbitrators overturning sound terminations or punishments of police officers. But the public wouldn't have objected if Davis rolled the dice... Unlike many major police departments, the Boston police boasts a comprehensive written policy on officer-involved domestic violence... But the Murphy case reveals the
holes...
[Full article here]