Brockton police sergeant suspended without pay for crash that injured family – NBC Boston

Brockton's police chief suspended a sergeant for three days without pay for his involvement in a late-night car crash after he left a nearby bar after closing time.

This follows an internal investigation which found that Sergeant Stanley David was drunk the night in May 2023 when he collided with a family's car at a red light.

The incident was first reported by NBC10 investigators, who spoke to the couple about the horrific ordeal with their little boy in the back seat.

Although the department's internal investigation found there was insufficient evidence to prove that David was driving while intoxicated, Police Chief Brenda Perez concluded that the findings warranted a three-day unpaid suspension for disorderly conduct by an officer.

The full internal report can be found at the end of this article.

“This decision is based on a wealth of evidence that underscores both your poor judgment and the resulting damage to the reputation of the Brockton Police Department,” Perez wrote in a letter to David.

The report obtained by NBC10 investigators includes new video from surveillance cameras at Brack's Grille and Tap in Brockton.

According to the documents, David arrived at the establishment after consuming “3-4 vodka and tonics” at a previous social event with the Brockton Police Relief Association.

The video shows David “awkwardly” walking through the bar's front door, consuming at least one drink, expressing his sympathy to other patrons and chatting with a bartender.

David left the restaurant shortly before closing time at around 1 a.m. Moments later, he collided with another vehicle that was stopped at a red light on Belmont Street.

Damian Dorsey and Jessica Nash were in the other car, with their five-month-old son Beckham in the back seat.

Family photo

“It was literally like a bomb went off in our car,” Dorsey told us of the impact that sent her vehicle flying 300 feet through the intersection. “The headrests came off the seats. Experiencing a rear-end collision like that still gives me chills.”

Before emergency responders took the family to the hospital, Dorsey said witnesses at the scene reported that the driver of the other vehicle was drunk. In a recording of the 911 call, the couple can be heard asking for those details.

Contribution

“Are you drunk because my baby is in the car!” Nash screamed in the recording.

When the couple later received a copy of the police report, it stated that no witnesses had given statements. They also noticed that the police had not conducted a breathalyzer test.

They then learned that the other driver was an off-duty police sergeant from Brockton.

“I was angry,” Dorsey told NBC10 when he learned this detail. “If it had been any other citizen, they would have tested him for alcohol.”

Investigators interviewed 11 police officers about the incident, as well as a witness who took several videos at the scene and a bartender at Brack's.

Contribution

Colleagues at the event recalled seeing David with a drink in his hand, but showing no signs of intoxication. Officers who arrived at the scene also told investigators they did not see sufficient reason to test him for alcohol.

Cell phone videos taken by witnesses briefly show David standing outside his vehicle with the driver's door open.

A lieutenant who came to the scene after learning that a Brockton police officer was involved in the accident eventually gave David a ride home.

David's story changed, according to the report. At the scene that night, he told other officers he “may have dozed off” at the wheel. He later reported being distracted by his vehicle's audio system before the collision.

Captain Steven Williamson reviewed the internal investigation case twice, which took more than a year, and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the allegation that David was driving while intoxicated.

But the police chief concluded that the details amounted to “conduct unbecoming an officer,” citing David's years of service and lack of disciplinary history. The sergeant completed his three-day unpaid suspension earlier this month.

David did not respond to NBC10 Boston's requests for comment on the crash. His union attorney, Alan Shapiro, declined to comment.

The Brockton Police Department's roster shows that David is next in line for promotion to lieutenant.

“The allegation that a cover-up may have occurred has fostered a climate of mistrust and damaged public trust – an essential component of effective policing,” Perez wrote in the report to David. “Your actions not only reflect poorly on you as an individual, but also cast a shadow on the integrity of the entire department.”