North Andover police unions call for ‘immediate removal’ of chief

In the wake of Kelsey Fitzsimmons’ acquittal, the union representing North Andover police passed a vote of no confidence in the department’s chief on Wednesday, citing a pattern of leadership failure including the department’s lack of body-worn cameras.

More than 90 percent of members of both the North Andover Patrol Officers’ Union and the Sergeants’ Union are demanding the “immediate removal” of Chief Charles Gray, who has led the department since 2016.

“We can no longer remain silent while working in a toxic culture of retaliation and professional stagnation,” the unions said. He said in a press release Wednesday. “Chief Gray has proven unable to meet the basic qualifications of an effective leader. Unfortunately, the consequences are falling directly on our officers and our city.”

The union specifically cited “low morale and broken trust,” “administrative incompetence,” and “lack of accountability…as officers face public scrutiny.”

Gray did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.

Fitzsimmons, a former North Andover police officer, was shot by fellow officer Patrick Noonan in her home last summer after she allegedly pointed a gun at him while officers were trying to take out a restraining order against her. She was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, but the defense claimed she only pointed the gun at her head in a suicide attempt.

Fitzsimmons was acquitted late last month.

The fact that North Andover police officers did not wear body cameras became a key part of the case, the judge said. Judge Jeffrey Karp — who ruled on the case after Fitzsimmons waived her right to a jury trial — said he found the testimonies of both Fitzsimmons and Noonan credible.

“The commonwealth probably could have more easily shouldered its burden if officers wore body cameras,” Karp said, Boston.com previously reported. “But under the circumstances, I have a reasonable doubt.”

Also since her acquittal, the police department’s Facebook page has been deactivated after an apparently “unauthorized” comment from the department about the case was posted.

The vote of confidence follows a 2020 report on the leadership of North Andover’s chief

After the no-confidence vote, the unions blamed Gray’s “blatant inaction” to address the need for body-worn cameras, which the unions said they had spent years defending. Referring to the Fitzsimmons case, the unions said the lack of cameras “adversely impacted the outcome of this case, our members and our city.”

The unions pointed to more of Gray’s so-called “failures,” including not approving a “comprehensive officer-related shooting policy” for more than a year because Gray apparently said it was “full of rhetoric.” The unions said this was particularly concerning, pointing to an incident in April 2024 in which an officer was injured during a standoff when gunfire struck a police car. Metal fragments from The car hit the officer in the head.

The administrative review of Gray was completed in 2020, “after the union raised very similar concerns to city management about Chief Gray and his troubling leadership within the department,” the union said. The union said Gray ignored recommendations in the report, prompting a vote of no confidence.

The city manager did not respond to a request for comment or further details about the 2020 report.

Since Fitzsimmons’ acquittal, she now plans to file a civil lawsuit against city officials.

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime and more.