North Andover Police and Town of North Andover Investigating Unauthorized Use of Police Department Social Media Page

NORTH ANDOVER — Police Chief Charles Gray reports that the North Andover Police Department is investigating after an unauthorized user posted a comment on behalf of the department, using the department’s official Facebook page.

A preliminary investigation has determined that a former employee, who is not authorized to use the page, was able to access the North Andover Police Department’s Facebook/Meta page and left a comment on another user’s page. The Department has temporarily disabled its Facebook page during the investigation.

The North Andover Police Department and the Town of North Andover have engaged with its information technology vendor and will conduct a full audit of all Town and Public Safety social media accounts and websites to ensure that no further unauthorized persons may access official government pages in the future.

The Town and Police Department will also review its social media policies in consultation with legal counsel.

The investigation into the unauthorized use of the North Andover Police Department Facebook page remains active and ongoing. The former employee resigned in 2023 in lieu of termination after an internal affairs investigation sustained allegations of racially inappropriate comments made by the employee. Their certification to work under the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission has previously been restricted.

The Town of North Andover will also engage an outside agency to review social media access and information security practices to ensure that former employees and unauthorized users will not be able to access official Town and Department accounts.

The North Andover Police Department will restore its social media channels as soon as possible. 

“The inappropriate comment, made about a serious issue and speculating about possible pending litigation is deeply troubling, and this comment is certainly not in line with the policies, procedures and values of the North Andover Police Department,” Chief Gray said. “I am deeply disturbed and troubled by these statements, and I pledge that we will conduct a thorough investigation, and review our social media practices to ensure that something like this does not happen again.

Our Police Department prides itself on its mission and values, and this comment does not reflect the fine work done every day by the men and women of this department.”