HAVERHILL — Mayor Melinda Barrett announced today that Acting Police Chief Stephen Doherty has been placed on paid administrative leave. Barrett said the decision followed a “lengthy and detailed discussion” with representatives from the city’s two police unions and the emergence of “new information.”
“After a lengthy and detailed discussion today with representatives from the two police unions, I was made aware of new information, and this afternoon (Friday, Oct. 10, 2025) have made additional personnel moves within the police department,” Barrett said in a statement. “Effective immediately, I placed Acting Chief Stephen Doherty on paid administrative leave and appointed Captain Wayne Tracy as Acting Chief.”
Barrett did not disclose the nature of the new information but said the changes were made in the best interest of both the department and the public.
“These changes will also allow the coming independent investigation into departmental operations, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, Oct. 16, to proceed openly and with the full support and participation of members of the police department,” Barrett added.
On Thursday, the Haverhill Police Patrolmen’s Association issued a vote of no confidence in both Doherty and former Chief Robert Pistone, citing “serious concerns” about management and transparency.
The union vote followed a letter posted on Facebook by the Lawrence Patrolmens Association sharply criticizing Pistone’s leadership and his handling of the death of Officer Katelyn Tully, 32, who died unexpectedly on Sept. 26. The letter accused Pistone of “govern[ing] through intimidation and ego” and said his public remarks about mental health were insincere.
“Every action since Officer Tully’s death has been transparent in its desperation to preserve your own power. You have not stood before your officers at roll call, not spoken to them in their grief, not asked how they are enduring,” the letter read. “You calculate how to save face while those you command drown in grief. That blindness, that self-absorption, has become your legacy.
The author also wrote that Officer Tully’s family “excluded” Pistone from her funeral, calling his condolences “hollow” and his presence “an insult.”
Barrett’s removal of Doherty and appointment of Captain Wayne Tracy as acting chief came just days after Pistone’s retirement. Pistone was placed on paid administrative leave on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and announced his immediate retirement on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 9, WCVB reported.
Broader context: unrest after in-custody death
The department’s leadership crisis coincides with ongoing fallout from the July 11 death of Francis Gigliotti, 43, who died after officers allegedly restrained him during a response to reports of erratic behavior outside a Haverhill fish market. The Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide, citing “police restraint and underlying medical conditions,” according to the Associated Press.
Seven Haverhill officers were placed on paid administrative leave following the incident as the Essex County District Attorney’s Office opened an investigation. Gigliotti’s family, represented by attorney Timothy Bradl, has since called for a special prosecutor to replace Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker’s Office, arguing that close working ties between local police and prosecutors could compromise impartiality.
“The only truly transparent means to hire a special prosecutor is to consult with another county district attorney with no Haverhill ties and receive a sworn appointment of another professional prosecutor, or
through the Attorney General’s Office. The Gigliotti family and the public deserve no less,” Bradl said in an interview with NBC Boston.
Observers say the timing of Doherty’s removal and Pistone’s retirement suggests the controversies may be connected to Barrett’s decision to order an independent review of police operations and culture.
Barrett said the review, beginning Oct. 16, will examine “departmental operations” and leadership practices, with the goal of restoring confidence among officers and the community.
