05/12/2026
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
In broad daylight, another violent criminal suspect allegedly opened fire in our communities, putting innocent lives and law enforcement officers directly in danger. Once again, we are reminded of the serious failures within the Massachusetts criminal justice system when repeat violent offenders are given slap-on-the-wrist treatment instead of meaningful consequences.
Revolving door justice does not work.
It is time the pressure is put where it belongs — on judges, parole boards, and every part of the system that continues releasing dangerous repeat offenders back onto our streets.
Just ask the Gannon family.
Just ask the Tarentino family.
Just ask the Chesna family.
Their loved ones are no longer with us because violent criminals were given chance after chance instead of being held accountable. That leads to tragedy.
Tomorrow, we lay Trooper Trainor to rest.
And yesterday, because of the bravery and professionalism of the heroes in blue, along with a United States Marine veteran who was legally armed and able to carry a firearm, more bloodshed was prevented.
We are fortunate today that we are not planning funerals for a Massachusetts State Trooper, a Cambridge Police Officer, or innocent citizens.
That suspect never should have been on the streets in the first place.
Since yesterday’s shooting, we have also learned that the individual responsible allegedly has a long violent criminal history in Massachusetts and has previously engaged in dangerous confrontations with law enforcement, including Boston-area officers, yet was still walking the streets freely. That reality should stop everyone in their tracks.
How do you think that makes officers feel?How do you think it makes their families feel — their spouses, their children, their parents who worry every time the phone rings or the shift runs late?
What does it say to the men and women in uniform who go to work every day knowing they may be the ones standing between that offender and innocent people?
This is not new to me, and it is not new to law enforcement.
My brother in blue, Yarmouth Police Officer K-9 Sergeant Sean Gannon, should still be working today. Instead, Sean rests in peace, and K-9 Nero survived with a bullet still in his body after confronting another violent repeat offender.
The person who murdered Sean had a Massachusetts criminal record with 125 prior charges and was still walking the streets, still committing crimes, still receiving slap-on-the-wrist treatment — until he murdered a police officer.
In law enforcement, we have a saying:“What is predictable is preventable.”
This is preventable.
It starts with fully supporting the men and women in law enforcement who risk their lives every day and every night to protect complete strangers — giving them the tools, the training, and the staffing levels they need to keep all of us safe.
But it also means dropping the hammer on people who repeatedly commit violent crimes.
That is what prisons are for — to keep dangerous offenders behind bars and keep innocent people safe.
Most people believe dangerous criminals are locked away after repeated violent acts, but those of us in law enforcement know the truth. There are hundreds more walking our streets every day in Massachusetts with long violent criminal records.
And every single day, it is the men, women, and K9s in uniform who stand as the thin blue line between good and evil.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
🇺🇸💙🙏🏻
Massachusetts State Police
Cambridge Police Department
Yarmouth Police Dept.
Auburn MA Police Department
Weymouth Police Department
Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
State Police Association of Massachusetts
Cambridge Police Patrol Officers Association
Massachusetts Fraternal Order of Police
Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association
Massachusetts Police Association
Massachusetts Coalition of Police
The New England PBA, Inc.
Boston Police Patrolmen's Association
Massachusetts Parole Officers’ Association
