The Massachusetts State Police spends nearly $70,000 a month on a sophisticated GPS tracking system designed to enhance accountability and public safety. But 25 Investigates discovered a loophole: hundreds of cruisers are equipped with a “kill switch” that allows the tracking to be disabled.
Investigative Reporter Ted Daniel learned about the feature while reviewing disciplinary records about former State Police detective Michael Proctor, who was fired for conduct revealed in Karen Read’s first murder trial.
Proctor was being investigated for an overtime shift where he and Canton Police detective Kevin Albert stated they traveled to Cape Cod to work a “cold case”. Documents from State Police and Canton Police show the two stopped for beers at Treehouse Brewery in Sandwich before having dinner and more drinks in Hanover on the way home.
The following day, “Albert texted Proctor a picture of two alcoholic drinks with a message ‘It’s bad!!! I was hungover for sure today!!!,’” according to a Canton Police Investigative Report about the incident.
Albert contends the text was a joke.
25 Investigates filed a public records request for Proctor’s GPS records from that day. The data shows Proctor’s unmarked cruiser drove a total of eight seconds and never left his hometown of Canton. The rest of his travels were never recorded because Proctor’s tracking device had been shut off.
The State Police began installing Automated Vehicle Locator (AVL) technology in all vehicles in 2019, costing an initial $225,000. Then-Colonel Christopher Mason touted the system as a key accountability tool following a major overtime fraud scandal in 2018.
A State Police spokesperson states the AVL system was implemented to enhance accountability, operational efficiency, and Trooper safety, empowering supervisors and investigators to cross-reference location data during timesheet reviews and internal audits.
However, a “small number” of vehicles—mostly unmarked cruisers assigned to investigative functions—are also equipped with a second physical device, or “switch,” that allows the operator to temporarily disable the AVL.
As of September 5, 2025, 418 State Police cruisers or about 14% of the department’s roughly 3000 vehicles have these switches installed.
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