Holyoke Police Chief Wants to Make Mass. Judges Accountable Very Large Number Are Endangering Citizens by Releasing Dangerous Criminals

Scott --a black conservative Republican-- told MassNews he has been Chief of Police in Holyoke for 16 months, and has been fighting with the judges for 15 of those 16 months.

By Ed Oliver
October 4, 2002

Holyoke Police Chief Anthony R. Scott is preparing to launch an initiative he hopes will make all judges in the Commonwealth accountable to the citizens.

Scott --a black conservative Republican-- told MassNews he has been Chief of Police in Holyoke for 16 months, and has been fighting with the judges for 15 of those 16 months. "We've made some dents. But we're not going to give up. I intend to continue my efforts to confront and make the judges accountable to the citizens."

Speaking to Massachusetts News at a fundraising event for Republican congressional candidate Matt Kinnaman on Wednesday, Chief Scott said, "The problem is, the judges are too lenient and they are too liberal. They are not truly enforcing the statutes, the mandated sentencing, the bail, the fines; they are not doing it. In about two or three weeks, I'm going to be announcing an effort to try to make judges accountable."

Scott was tight-lipped about the details, saying they will be revealed when he calls a press conference at City Hall that all citizens are welcome to attend.

In a guest editorial he wrote for the local paper last August, Scott said "It is my opinion that a very large percentage of the judges here aren't worth a mouth full of warm spit, and I'm putting it very lightly."

Scott said he believes it is judges who are responsible for a revolving door justice system that allows criminals to roam the streets, unnecessarily endangering police officers, citizens and neighborhoods. Two of his officers were injured recently while arresting a drug dealer for the second time within forty-five days. One officer required several dozen stitches to his forehead. The perpetrator had an extensive criminal record dating back to 1988.

According to Scott, people who are arrested for serious crimes such as rape or with large quantities of drugs are often released on their own personal recognizance, or for extremely low bail.

Scott said the judicial system has not only ignored his complaints, but the "Massachusetts Judges Conference" gave a local judge a "Judicial Excellence" award, making comments about Scott when they presented the award.

Chief Scott was born and raised in New Orleans Louisiana. He has a wife of 20 years and a 19-year-old son. Scott retired after 22 years with the New Orleans Police Department. After that, he was chief of the Athol Police Dept. for 3 years, 2 months before he left to become chief at Rock Island, Illinois, for ten years.

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