Kevin Quinn
MASHPEE – Mashpee Police Chief Scott Carline has released the following statement on the July 28th pursuit that ended in a crash which killed three people. A car driven by Mickey Rivera collided head on with a car driver by Kevin Quinn, killing them both as well as a passenger in Rivera’s vehicle Jocelyn Goyette. Quinn was returning home from Cape Cod Hospital after visiting his wife and new baby. (See original Cape Wide News story here). Here is the statement in its entirety:
On July 28, 2018 at 12:15 a.m., the Mashpee Police Department attempted to initiate a motor vehicle stop on a vehicle that was driven by Mickey Rivera of Fall River, Massachusetts. The motor vehicle stop was predicated on moving violations observed by the Officer. Rivera refused to stop for police initiating a chain of events which resulted in a motor vehicle pursuit on Route 28 towards the town of Barnstable ending in a tragic motor vehicle crash just over the Barnstable town line.
An extensive investigation conducted by Barnstable Police Department Crash Reconstruction team concluded that the resulting fatal motor vehicle accident was caused by the driver Mickey Rivera. They concluded that:
“Rivera reached speeds of 90-100 MPH in an area that is posted 50 mph. River had a complete disregard for the police, posted traffic signs and road markings and other vehicles on the roadway. Rivera’s high speed eventually caused him to lost control of the Toyota and veer into the oncoming traffic crashing into the second vehicle.”
During the investigation it was learned that Rivera was on probation with a GPS monitor in place and his license to operate a motor vehicle was suspended in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, although this was unknown to the officer at the time the attempted stop. The investigation determined that it Mickey Rivera’s actions were to stop for police at the outside, this entire tragedy would have been avoided.
As a result of the accident, I immediately ordered an internal investigation into the Mashpee Police Department’s role in the pursuit to determine if the actions of the officers were consistent with the Mashpee Police Departmental policy regarding pursuits. The internal investigation into the matter has been completed.
The Mashpee Police Department General Order number 001, Titles “Pursuits”, section 1, specifically states;
“It is the policy of the Mashpee Police Department that a vehicular pursuit is authorized when the need to apprehend a suspect fleeing in a motor vehicle outweighs the risk creaked by the pursuit.”
After a thorough investigation which consisted of police officer interviews, witness interviews, surveillance video reviews, transcript reviews, accident reconstruction investigation reviews and radio transmission reviews, I have come to the conclusion that this motor vehicle pursuit, based on the need to apprehend a suspect fleeing outweighing the risk created by the pursuit, should have been terminated. While evidence supports that Mr. Rivers, based on his speed, was not in the area of the pursuing cruiser and was not in view at the time of the crash.
Once the investigation was completed I forwarded it in its entirety to Daigle Law Group LLC for an independent review. “Daigle Law Group LLC is one of the Nation’s leading law firms that specialize in management consulting services in support and development of effective and constitutional policing practices. Led by principle and National expert on public safety operations, Attorney Eric Daigle, the DLG team is comprised of experienced and professional experts.” (Daigle Law Firm Website 2018). After an independent review by Daigle Law Group, they concur with our findings that this pursuit should have been terminated.
We want to hold ourselves accountable to the community and I have released all the pertinent information regarding this investigation. Our continued priority is to serve the citizens of Mashpee with pride and integrity, pledging an open, accountable police department responsive to the needs and concerns of the community while maintaining the public trust and community engagement. I do not feel the community expects us to be perfect, but I do feel they expect us to be honest. It is extremely important to me as Chief of Police that we conduct ourselves professionally and with transparency with with sensitive investigation while still holding ourselves accountable for our actions. The decision making process for police officers in these often difficult situations is done in real time within seconds by human beings trying to do the right thing and trying to do their jobs in an effort to ensure this type of police violation does not occur in the future.
Professionally,
Scott W. Carline
Chief of Police
Forensic Polygraph Examiner
