Massachusetts State Police (MSP) spend nearly $70,000 per month to track cruisers with GPS, according to Boston 25 News investigative reporter Ted Daniel.
He says the Automated Vehicle Locator (AVL) system was sold as transparency after the 2018 overtime scandal.
Then-Colonel Christopher Mason publicly touted it as a way to verify time and attendance.
The rollout began in 2019 with an initial $225,000 spend, Daniel reports.
Supervisors were told they could cross-reference GPS with timesheets and audits for accuracy.
On paper, this is what reform looks like – hardware, data, oversight.
In practice, Daniel found a gap big enough to drive a cruiser through.
The Loophole: Flip, Go Dark
“With the flip of a switch,” an MSP cruiser can disappear from AVL tracking, Daniel reports in both his broadcast and article for Boston 25 News.
It’s literally a physical “kill switch” wired into certain vehicles.
A State Police spokesperson told Daniel the switches exist for “sensitive investigations,” where revealing an unmarked car’s location could endanger troopers, witnesses, victims, or informants.
That explanation came with a number: 418 cruisers – about 14% of roughly 3,000 vehicles – have the switch.
The department denied Daniel’s public records request for a list of which vehicles can go dark, citing officer safety.
They did share policy language that, on paper, limits when and how the feature can be used.
Retired MSP Major Dennis Galvin, now president of the Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement, told Daniel there are legitimate reasons to go off the radar in narrow cases.
“You could wind up disclosing information about critical witnesses or even informants,” Galvin said on Boston 25 News.
That’s the best-case rationale.
But Daniel documents how the same switch can be – and has been – abused.
Case Study: Proctor and the “Cold Case” Road Trip
Daniel says he started digging after reviewing disciplinary files on former State Police detective Michael Proctor, whose conduct surfaced in Karen Read’s first murder trial.
This part reads like a script you wish weren’t real.
According to Daniel, Proctor and Canton Police detective Kevin Albert put in for an overtime “cold case” shift, drove Proctor’s unmarked cruiser to Cape Cod, stopped for beers at Tree House Brewery in Sandwich, then dinner and more drinks in Hanover on the way home.
The next day, Daniel reports, Albert texted Proctor a photo of two alcoholic drinks with “It’s bad!!! I was hungover for sure today!!!”
Albert told investigators it was a joke.
Boston 25 News filed a public records request for Proctor’s AVL data that day.
The readout showed eight seconds of movement and no departure from Canton—because Proctor’s tracker was shut off.
Daniel notes Proctor was not disciplined for disabling the locator, because he was authorized to do so under the department’s rules at the time.
In a hearing clip aired by Boston 25 News, MSP attorney Stephen Carley asked if there was any violation for turning the device off. Lt. Kevin Dwyer answered: “Correct,” there was none.
Here’s the blunt takeaway: the most publicized AVL “accountability” case ends with the data not existing precisely when it matters most.
That’s a design problem, not just a personnel problem.
My read: if your flagship integrity tool can be deactivated by the very people it is supposed to check, it’s not an integrity tool – it’s an optional accessory.
Legit Uses vs. Known Abuse
Galvin’s caution makes sense in theory: don’t leak the locations of undercover units, confidential meetings, or witness transports.
But Daniel documents a separate case that shows the risk on the other side of the ledger.
A 2021 Internal Affairs report, summarized by Daniel, found then-Trooper Dwayne Correia disabled his tracker to conceal his whereabouts “from his supervisors” during a night of drinking in Providence.
His service weapon was later stolen from his unmarked cruiser.
That’s the nightmare scenario: the switch transforms from a safety valve into a cloak for misconduct.
And when the AVL is dark, the audit trail goes with it.
Daniel also reports MSP acknowledged that use of the switches had “varied in its application across the Department.”
That’s a bureaucratic way of admitting policy drift and uneven oversight.
My opinion: If a tool is powerful enough to protect lives, it’s powerful enough to hide misconduct. The difference is governance – clear thresholds, documented approvals, hard time limits, and automatic after-action review.
New Policy, Old Questions
Daniel reports that newly appointed Colonel Geoffrey Noble has updated the policy. MSP told Boston 25 News the change gives supervisors more direct oversight of the “small number” of requests to go dark.
Under the update, the AVL must be operational during “normal day-to-day activities.” Members seeking an exemption must detail the mission, the expected duration, and the specific safety reasons – and get permission.
That’s a good start.
But without public visibility, it’s faith-based compliance.
MSP also told Daniel that GPS data is cross-referenced during payroll reviews.
That’s smart – when the system is on. When it’s off, the cross-check is only as strong as the exception paperwork.
Daniel further reports MSP denied his request for a list of vehicles with kill switches as “detrimental” to security.
I get the risk, but there are middle paths: release counts by unit, anonymized usage logs, or aggregated statistics on how often, how long, and under what categories the switch is used.
Transparency doesn’t have to burn sources and methods.
It does have to produce enough light for the public to trust the thermostat isn’t stuck on “off.”
What “Accountability” Should Look Like Now
Daniel’s reporting paints a clear picture: a tool built to restore credibility now lives in tension with an exception that can erase it.
Here’s what, in my view, should follow – grounded in the facts Daniel surfaced on Boston 25 News:
1) Document every blackout.
Mission, start/stop timestamps, approving supervisor, and a concise safety rationale – just as MSP says the new policy requires. Then audit it.
2) Impose bright lines.
Strict time caps (think minutes or a few hours, not days), automatic re-enable, and immediate supervisor alerts if the cap is exceeded.
3) Create an after-action trail.
If the switch is used, a sealed memo goes into an internal log, subject to later review by Internal Affairs and the Inspector General.
4) Publish anonymized transparency.
Quarterly public reports: number of disable events, average duration, and high-level categories (e.g., witness security, undercover meet, exigent risk). No VINs. No unit IDs. Just sunlight.
5) Tie payroll to AVL reality.
If the device is off during overtime or special duty, the exception memo must accompany the timesheet, or the hours don’t pay.
None of that exposes covert operations.
All of it reassures the public that “sensitive investigation” isn’t code for “no questions asked.”
The Bottom Line
Ted Daniel’s Boston 25 News investigation is simple and uncomfortable.
Taxpayers fund a $70,000-a-month tracking system for accountability – then learn hundreds of cruisers can vanish at a driver’s discretion.
MSP says the switch protects lives in rare, justified scenarios.
Daniel shows how it can also shield misconduct – and how policy use has been inconsistent.
With Colonel Geoffrey Noble’s new rules, the department appears to be steering toward tighter control.
That’s wise. But policy on paper needs proof in practice.
As Galvin told Daniel, “there’s a management obligation to make sure there’s compliance.”
Exactly. The switch exists. Now the guardrails must, too.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
