Howard is quoted in two articles about police officers and domestic violence. 1999 Court Records Detail A Messy Divorce, Abuse Allegations For New BPD Commissioner. On his third day on the job, new Boston police commissioner Dennis White was put on leave pending an investigation of past allegations of domestic violence. The Boston Police Department knew about the allegations from 1999 but it is unclear if they initiated an internal investigation. As Howard comments in the article, it’s not unusual for officers not to have consequences based on allegations of domestic violence. In February 2020, the Boston Globe reported that Boston Police Captain Timothy Connolly was charged with domestic violence. A few weeks later the Globe reported the case was dismissed. There is no record of a finding after an internal affairs investigation.
This story by Boston 25 expands on the problem of holding officers accountable for domestic violence: Civil rights attorney: domestic violence allegations against police among toughest to report. Howard was surprised to learn that the Boston Police Department protects the names of police officers who were alleged to have committed domestic violence. Privacy laws should protect the identity of the victim but not the abuser, particularly if the abuser is a police officer or public official.