Robert Devine, who was once the deputy police chief in Stoughton, has lost his authority to work as a police officer in Massachusetts.
The the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission voted last week to decertify Devine, citing repeated complaints against him and a pattern of unprofessional conduct. The commission’s final decision to revoke his certification was published on Tuesday.
In 2022, Devine retired from the Stoughton police force after allegations of misconduct surfaced following the death of Sandra Birchmore, who as a teenager had participated in the Stoughton Police Explorers program that Devine oversaw.
Devine is accused of engaging in inappropriate communications with Birchmore, having sex with her while he was on duty once she was no longer a minor, and lying to investigators. Authorities also say Devine was aware that two other officers, brothers Matthew and William Farwell, were sexually abusing Birchmore when she was a teenager, but he did not intervene.
Birchmore was pregnant when she was found dead in her Canton apartment on Feb. 4, 2021. Her death was ruled a suicide, but Birchmore’s family insisted she would never take her own life and was excited to become a mother.
In 2024, federal authorities arrested Matthew Farwell on allegations that he killed Birchmore because she said she was pregnant with his child. Prosecutors claim he staged the scene to make her death look like a suicide. Farwell has pleaded not guilty and awaits a trial in a Rhode Island jail. Earlier this year, the Boston Globe reported that a DNA test showed Matthew Farwell was not the father of Birchmore’s child.
There was an extensive discovery process relating to Devine’s case.
Last July, the POST Commission held two-day adjudication hearings that were closed to the public.
The POST Commission’s decision notes that during testimony, Devine portrayed Birchmore “as a former disruptive student who was always trying to get his attention” and that he rebuffed her supposed sexual advances. Commissioners noted that testimony was in tension with evidence that Devine had never reported Birchmore’s alleged behavior.
In October, the POST Commission’s hearing officer reviewed the evidence against Devine and recommended that his certification be revoked. Devine filed his objections in November, stating the allegations were not based on definitive evidence.
Devine currently works as an attorney. He said during a July hearing that he did not plan to return to work as an officer. He has denied any wrongdoing in a separate civil case against him brought by the Birchmore estate.
