Howie Carr: Boston’s bad cop blues lands in court
In a troubling turn of events for the Boston Police Department (BPD), Police Commissioner Michael Cox is facing scrutiny over his handling of officer Bryan Augustine, who has a history of serious misconduct allegations dating back to his hiring in 2018. Recent revelations from a lawsuit filed by BPD Captain Timothy Gaughan suggest that Cox attempted to shield Augustine from accountability, allegedly pressuring Gaughan to reduce serious charges—such as “Untruthfulness” and “Conduct Unbecoming”—to lesser offenses like “Unreasonable Judgment” and “Neglect of Duty.” This manipulation appears to be part of a broader pattern within the BPD, raising questions about the integrity of its leadership and the standards applied to its officers.
The lawsuit details various incidents involving Augustine, including allegations of unprofessional conduct, use of profanity towards the homeless, and even a case where he reportedly ignored a truck driver’s request for help, telling the complainant to “Go (bleep) yourself.” Despite the gravity of these complaints, many were ultimately downgraded or sustained with minimal consequences. Gaughan’s claims of retaliation for refusing to sweep Augustine’s misconduct under the rug highlight a troubling culture within the BPD that may prioritize protecting certain officers over maintaining public trust. As Gaughan’s suit unfolds, it raises critical questions about the standards of accountability within the department, particularly in light of Cox’s contrasting treatment of officers like Augustine compared to those with less favorable reputations, such as former officer Joe Abasciano, who was dismissed for politically charged social media activity.
The case underscores a significant concern regarding the BPD’s internal culture and the potential for favoritism based on personal biases or affiliations. While Cox has faced legal challenges regarding his disciplinary decisions, the lack of transparency and accountability within the department continues to fuel skepticism among the public and within the ranks of the police force itself. The ongoing saga of Bryan Augustine serves as a cautionary tale, prompting deeper inquiries into the systemic issues that may allow problematic officers to evade proper scrutiny while others face harsh penalties for far less severe infractions. As the situation develops, many are left wondering how many more officers like Augustine are being shielded from accountability and what it means for the future of policing in Boston.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skWMGGqdP68
Why does Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox keep trying to protect certain very dodgy police officers, at least if they happen to be… a certain type of cop?
Triston Champagnie, Kelly Dever and now a guy by the name of Bryan Augustine.
After skating on all charges since he went on the job in 2018, the BPD has finally, if belatedly decided to (sort of) discipline Augustine.
And it all occurred just as a 34-year-veteran Boston police captain was filing a lawsuit against Cox and the BPD, in which he accused them of trying to force him to broom one of the many cases against Augustine.
The reason Cox et al. wanted the charges reduced against their favorite cop?
According to the lawsuit, it was so that Augustine’s certification wouldn’t be pulled by the Mass Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) Commission. If the POST Commission ever found out about this incident Gaughan was probing, Cox’s little pet “would likely be terminated, an end result they were trying to avoid.”
This civil complaint was filed by BPD Capt. Timothy Gaughan, and he brings the receipts. For a while, he was on Internal Affairs, handling one of the many charges against Augustine.
According to his suit, Gaughan got a call from Cox’s enforcer, Supt.-in-Chief Phil Owens, who told him “he was calling on behalf of Cox.” Owens asked Gaughan to basically reduce the charges against Cox’s pet, Augustine.
Then Owens sent Gaughan a copy of a memo he’d sent to Cox. You can check it out for yourself. In it, the two serious charges against Augustine, “Untruthfulness” and “Conduct Unbecoming,” are crossed out. They are replaced with lesser, survivable charges of “Unreasonable Judgment” and “Neglect of Duty.”
Who scratched out those original charges, and for what reason? And why would Cox use his enforcer to handle the broom job?
From paragraph 55 of Capt. Gaughan’s suit:
“Commissioner Cox attempted to shield his involvement in the matter by contacting plaintiff indirectly and exerting undue pressure on him to change the nature of the charges and supporting narratives. Cox’s objective was to protect a dishonest police officer from being terminated.”
A dishonest police officer!
The Boston Police Department declined to comment on the suit, or Gaughan’s accusations.
But the BPD did send a copy of his Officer Resume from Internal Affairs, containing summaries of the “incidents” that Cox was facing charges on before everything was just, uh, worked out.
Some charges were sustained, the major ones mostly not – wink wink nudge nudge:
In 2020: “Stopped for drag racing in Revere. It is alleged that Officer Augustine was in the company of unsavory characters and gave the Trooper a hard time.”
In 2020: “(Redacted) stated that Officer Augustine always uses profanity while speaking to him at Egleston where he and his girlfriend hang out based on the fact that they are homeless and have no place to stay… A review of Officer Stanley Pina (bodycam) showed Officer Augustine threw the citation at (homeless man).”
In 2020: “A tractor-trailer was having a traffic issue on Washington Street… (Driver asked for help) but Officer Augustine did not respond. The complainant then approached cruiser (window open) and asked the officer if he had heard the truck driver’s request for assistance. According to the complainant, Officer Augustine replied, ‘Go (bleep) yourself.’ The officer then drove off.”
In 2022: “Calling in sick when he had exhausted his sick time and vacation time… failed to report for duty… he was AWOL for the tour… Officer Augustine has continually demonstrated a lack of attentiveness toward his time and attendance as a Boston Police Officer. His current pattern is evidence of complete unawareness or total disregard for his actions, placing his fellow officers and the unit at risk.”
In 2022: Woman leaving police headquarters says cop on metal detector told her she “looks familiar… (then) followed her to her car… asked her personal questions regarding her background. (Redacted) expressed that she felt the officer was flirting with her making her feel uncomfortable.”
In 2023: While out sick, pending a worker’s comp claim, Augustine showed up in court to defend himself on a motor-vehicle citation “in a Boston Police Uniform while off duty concerning a personal matter. Additionally, Sgt. DeFeo claimed that Officer Augustine fraudulently obtained the inspection sticker for his motor vehicle.” (Sgt. DeFeo recommended that charge be investigated by the BPD’s anti-corruption unit.)
In 2024: “Officer Augustine gave off-duty Officer Fabian Bustillo and civilian Gabriel Albisu a ride home in a marked BPD cruiser from the Seaport District to Bustillo’s home with the lights and sirens activated.”
To repeat, most of the more serious charges were downgraded, but many of them were in one way or another “sustained.” Two more complaints against Augustine remain pending.
As Gaughan’s suit was filed, Cox suspended Augustine for 30 days – “with 15 working days to service, without pay, and 15 working days held in abeyance for a period of one year, for misconduct….”
According to the lawsuit, Gaughan suffered retaliation because the case he declined to sweep under the rug dated back to 2018, when Augustine was still a probationary police officer and thus had less job protection.
To punish him, Gaughan says the brass slow-walked his promotion to captain and assigned him to “a toxic work environment” – the Operations Division.
Cox suffered another legal setback in his double standards of meting out discipline last week. That defeat occurred in a federal case involving former officer Joe Abasciano, who was forced out for tweets he made on Jan. 6, 2021.
Cox fired the MAGA cop, but last December the Civil Service Commission overturned the BPD’s decision. The BPD appealed to get rid of the Trump supporter.
The judge said Cox doesn’t get a second bite at the apple because the case had already been fully litigated at the state level.
Interesting how Cox apparently was desperate to protect Augustine at the same time he wanted to fire Abasciano. I wonder what the difference is between the two cops. Are a few tweets worse than all the above incidents involving Augustine?
Aggrieved cops, keep those lawsuits coming. Why do I have this feeling that there are a lot more Bryan Augustines and Triston Champagnies out there being coddled by the current BPD brass… for whatever reason?
One last question: why is Commissioner Cox not certified by the POST Commission? Is he somehow above the standards he enforces, at least on some of his cops?
I asked the BPD, but they never got back to me. Asking for a friend….
Order Howie’s new book, “Mass Corruption: Vol. 1, The Cops” at howiecarrshow.com/store.
