Stoughton Suspends Police Chief and Town Manager, Orders Independent Investigations

Select Board · Meeting of July 29, 2026

Stoughton places its police chief and town manager on paid administrative leave simultaneously. The Select Board voted unanimously at its July 29 meeting to suspend Police Chief Donna McNamara and Town Manager Thomas Coulter pending separate independent investigations. The board entered executive session to deliberate under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30A, Section 21A, citing allegations of internal personnel misconduct against McNamara and separate allegations of harassment and mistreatment attributed to Coulter.

Returning to open session, the chair read a prepared statement declaring that "today's actions are intended to establish a fair and impartial independent process" and that "the board has not reached any conclusion regarding the merits of the complaints." No investigators were publicly named, no timeline was disclosed, and no interim leadership arrangements were announced.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 1,311 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.