Plainfield residents fault using Ashfield to investigate sergeant, decision defended by others

PLAINFIELD — Several residents criticized the decision to bring in the neighboring Ashfield Police Department to investigate allegations of racial bias and sexual harassment against a police sergeant who was subsequently not reappointed by the police chief at the start of this fiscal year.

At a Select Board meeting this week, former selectwoman Kimberly Longey noted how intertwined Plainfield is as a community.

“I would urge this board to go beyond the immediate five miles of this community to find independence in an investigation,” said Longey, a comment that drew applause.

Rebecca Coletta, another former Select Board member, also noted that the Ashfield chief works closely with the Plainfield department.

“We need to be reassured by having an independent, state investigation done,” Coletta said.

Longey’s request pointed to the seriousness of the allegations against former Sgt. Matthew Miazga, as well as a separate compliant filed against Police Chief Justin Litchfield.

Miazga was suspended in June amid allegations of racial bias and sexual harassment brought by one town resident and other members of the police department. Following an investigation, which was conducted by Ashfield Police Sgt. Fred Bezio at the behest of his wife, Chief Beth Bezio, Litchfield did not reappoint Miazga for the current fiscal year, which began on July 1, on the advice of town counsel.

Meanwhile, the complaint against Litchfield was made by Melissa Brown Miazga, Miazga’s wife, alleging that the chief made unwanted advances toward her in December. She alleges that Litchfield made up a false complaint against her husband. Miazga’s attorney, Ryan Kenny, said last week that Litchfield retaliated against Miazga after Miazga’s wife refused Litchfield’s advances.

The chief denies making up a complaint against Miazga.

Select Board Chairman Patrick Williamson declined to comment Tuesday on whether an investigation into Litchfield is underway. Litchfield was not present at the meeting due to personal and family illness, though he did attend a closed door meeting of the Select Board on July 25 that was called for the purpose that can include discussing discipline.

Defending decision

Others at the meeting defended the decision to bring in Ashfield to conduct the investigation into Miazga. Howard Bronstein, the administrative assistant to the chief, said that Bezio’s training is part of the standards and practices throughout law enforcement.

“I’m not sure you’re going to get a different result if you had somebody different doing it,” Bronstein said.

Tony Gibbs, a recently promoted corporal in the Plainfield Police Department, urged those present to read the report before drawing conclusions.

“You’re going to find it very hard to find any police officers in western Massachusetts that don’t know each other,” he said.

He also said that he could be on many different departments, but he chose to serve in Plainfield.

“I like the department. I like the town,” he said.

Gibbs said that people are drawing conclusions based on hearsay and not facts, a comment that drew applause as well. The Select Board informed residents that they could ask for a redacted copy of the investigation report into Miazga’s conduct by emailing selectboard@town.plainfield.ma.us.

Later in the meeting, Gibbs was critical of the allegations against Litchfield, who he said has been following the proper process and hasn’t been making statements to the press or others.

“To me this is just a clear case of somebody being angry and going after their old boss,” he said.

Longey asked Gibbs if he thought the sexual harassment complaint shouldn’t be taken seriously, to which Gibbs responded by saying that it should before Williamson cut off the back-and-forth between them.

Questions of staffing were also discussed at the meeting, with Williamson saying that Gibbs had agreed to work four days on and two days off, which he said should allow him to give coverage for most weekends.

Gibbs said at the meeting that he’s worked without pay in Plainfield as a police officer a number of times.

“You can’t have a situation where you have a town that’s just not policed,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs is waiting to get his full time approval from the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, and he said after the meeting that he’s working 38 hours a week in Plainfield at the present time.

Williamson said in the meeting that the chief is on call whenever available as a salaried employee, and he said that State Police coverage will remain a part of the town’s policing plan.

Williamson, who is also the Select Board’s liaison to the police department, said that he’s proposed that the department work through the recommendations of the Plainfield Police Working Group, and report back on whether the department has enacted each of the recommendations, doesn’t intend to or is in the process of implementing them.

The group released two sets of recommendations, one last year and one this year.

Longey, who was a member of the now defunct group, expressed satisfaction with what Williamson laid out.

“Asking questions about a taxpayer funded department is our right and it’s our duty,” she said.

Bera Dunau can be reached