The Biddeford City Council, having heard multiple allegations of sexual abuse by two former police officers, will meet behind closed doors Monday with the police chief and deputy chief.
Mayor Alan Casavant said the council won’t take any action at the meeting with Police Chief Roger Beaupre and Deputy Chief JoAnne Fisk, but it will hold the meeting in executive session under a provision in state law for discussion of personnel matters.
“We will reflect on what has been said, ask questions and get out our general thoughts about what has occurred,” Casavant said.
The council has held a series of packed and emotional meetings about the allegations, most of them marked by calls for Beaupre, who has led the department for 34 years, and Fisk to be suspended and for the allegations to be investigated. The most recent meeting was held Thursday, under a provision in the city charter that allows residents to compel the council to hear grievances.
Beaupre did not attend the meeting. He and Fisk have declined to respond to the allegations and the calls for their suspension.
In public, city officials have largely been silent about the allegations, citing state laws that bar them from speaking about ongoing investigations. One such investigation is looking into sexual abuse allegations against Stephen Dodd, a former city police officer. Dodd was investigated after similar allegations arose in 2002, but he was never charged and has since retired.
Another officer, Norman Gaudette, was investigated in the early 1990s after allegations were made that he sexually abused teenage boys. A grand jury decided not to indict Gaudette, but critics say that the state Attorney General’s Office undermined the case.
The controversy began three months ago, when Matt Lauzon, a Boston businessman, raised his allegations against Dodd on social media. More alleged victims have since come forward, saying they were abused by either Dodd or Gaudette
Casavant said the council will meet at 6 p.m. Monday and resume a budget discussion that was suspended this week, then go into executive session.
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