Pighetti put on leave in February after traffic stop
Alison Bosma
The Milford Daily News
MILFORD — Two months after Police Chief Michael Pighetti was put on paid leave, the town is still investigating the complaint that put him there.
“I can’t confirm that there even is any investigation ongoing, as we have not been contacted by anyone associated with the Town of Milford relative to an investigation,” Pighetti’s lawyer, Andrew J. Gambaccini of Worcester-based Reardon, Joyce & Akerson, wrote in an email to the Daily News. “This is a matter that could have been investigated within a matter of days and now, two months out, it would appear that absolutely nothing has been done.”
Selectman Michael Walsh confirmed on Monday that the investigation is still active, but said he could not comment further.
Milford police Lt. James Falvey has been acting chief since Pighetti was placed on leave in February.
The town has not provided details about the complaint, but Pighetti released a statement through his lawyer about a week after he was placed on leave, defending himself.
Calling his actions “legitimate, justified and necessary to protect public safety,” Pighetti wrote that he had pulled over a speeding car that ran a red light, crossed the center line, and nearly hit parked cars in downtown Milford.
He then called the Police Department, which is less than half a mile from the incident, and handed the situation to arriving officers, he said.
Though Pighetti has a career in law enforcement, he had been out of police work for five years before becoming Milford’s interim, then full-time police chief. That meant he needed to re-take the state’s police academy course before having access to full police powers, including pulling someone over.
Pighetti did not complete the course before becoming Milford’s interim chief, and neither he nor town officials have responded to Daily News questions regarding the matter.
Town official comments at the time of the traffic incident said only that the chief had used “unauthorized and unnecessary police powers.”
Walsh said Monday that he could not reveal who or what agency is conducting the investigation. The town’s statement on the matter in February said only that a “third party” was being brought in.
