#SOMERVILLE POLICE FREE#

The arbitrator said DiFronzo “used poor judgment, justifying discipline in his handling of the case” but determined there was insufficient evidence to support the city’s claim that the stabbing was a direct result of the information that DiFronzo gave Machado. The Somerville police union argued that DiFronzo was not responsible for the stabbing and cited evidence that Machado had spotted the victim on the street and chased him to the house where he was stabbed. He said he didn’t share his texts with investigators because he thought they were irrelevant, according to the ruling. Last year, Machado, 26, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to home invasion, armed robbery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.ĭuring the arbitration hearing, DiFronzo testified that he warned Machado several times not to harm Alvarez, and he had assured him that he wouldn’t. Eighteen months later, prosecutors alerted Somerville police that investigators had discovered the concerning messages during a search of Machado’s phone. But he did not tell supervisors about the texts, according to the arbitrator. Alvarez underwent surgery and survived.ĭiFronzo told police he “had a hunch” that Machado was involved in the attack and arrested him three weeks later. A man who was hiding in another room with his 1-year-old daughter called 911. While Machado held a knife to the head of one occupant, his accomplice allegedly stabbed Alvarez repeatedly.

The next day, Machado and an unidentified accomplice forced their way into the home where the teenager was hiding, wielding machetes, according to a police report. He provided an address on Alston Street in Somerville where he believed Alvarez was hiding and urged him to get a photograph of him for police if he found him. “Do what you got to do,” DiFronzo texted Machado on March 1, 2015. But DiFronzo should have “reevaluated” the situation once Machado told him that he was also looking for the teenager and planned to give him a “beating” because he had stolen a backpack of marijuana from him. Shrage said it wasn’t improper for DiFronzo to reach out to Machado, who had a criminal record, for help finding the suspect, Henry Alvarez. Shrage, who has worked as an arbitrator for 32 years and is a Western New England University professor, found that DiFronzo seemed so focused on finding a teenager suspected of breaking into a vacant apartment in February 2015 that his judgment was “clouded” when he traded information with a street source, Jonathan Machado.

#SOMERVILLE POLICE FREE#

“The mayor of the city is free to appeal and they will lose,” said Burke, calling Curtatone’s objections to the decision “sour grapes and without merit.” Burke, said the arbitrator was picked by city officials and DiFronzo based upon his neutrality and conducted an independent review, including 15 days of testimony. “Employers must be able to take action against the small percentage of officers who are bad actors and not be second-guessed by an arbitrator.”īut DiFronzo’s lawyer, Timothy M. “The system is rigged, and it does not tip in favor of human rights or civil rights,” Curtatone said. Arbitration is the appeals process used by most law enforcement agencies, based on collective bargaining contracts. He questioned the arbitrator’s objectivity and said the decision to overturn the officer’s termination highlights the need to reform how police discipline cases are handled.

Mayor Joseph Curtatone of Somerville denounced the June 4 ruling as “absolutely disgusting” and said he will appeal the case to a Superior Court judge.