Five Lynn police officers have resigned, one was fired, and two suspended following a monthslong investigation into a text exchange that included “racially offensive language” and evidence of drug use by officers, the city’s police department said in a statement.
Lynn police Chief Christopher P. Reddy condemned the behavior of the officers involved in the investigation, which began in April after the Essex District Attorney’s office provided police with information concerning the improper conduct.
“The actions of these individuals do not reflect the core values of this department. We believe that the results of this investigation reflect our commitment to transparency and accountability to the people we serve. We are committed to upholding those values,” Reddy said in the statement, which was released Friday.
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None of the officers involved with the case were identified.
The Lynn police probe began following a Salem police investigation into a December 2020 domestic abuse allegation against a Lynn officer, the Essex District Attorney’s office has said. That officer had been arrested for allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman, though the charges were dropped.
The charges were dismissed in April “due to a lack of sufficient, credible evidence to prove the criminal case at trial,” said Carrie Kimball, a spokeswoman for the Essex district attorney’s office, on Saturday.
But information concerning the conduct of some Lynn officers was obtained through a Salem police search warrant in that case, officials have said. The Essex District Attorney’s office shared that information with Lynn police in April, prompting the Lynn police’s Professional Standards Division to begin investigating.
The text exchange was between two officers, Lynn police said in their statement. Seven of the eight officers involved in the investigation were placed on administrative leave after the department viewed the text exchange.
“The private texts between those two individuals included racially offensive language and evidence of drug use by officers,” Lynn police said in its statement.
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As a result of the investigation, five Lynn officers, including the two involved in the text exchange, “chose to resign,” Lynn police said in their statement. One officer was fired following a department hearing, and two others were suspended, the statement said.
“It is the position of the Lynn Police Department that law enforcement officers must be held to the highest standard of conduct. Inappropriate behavior, including the use of any racially offensive language, is condemned and will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the department said in the statement.
The department said it has submitted documentation pertaining to investigations of misconduct and discipline to the state’s new Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. That panel was created as part of the police accountability legislation signed into law in 2020 and oversees investigations into officer misconduct.
On Saturday, officials with Lynn police and the Essex District Attorney’s office did not say if any of the Lynn officers face criminal charges.
Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson, who was sworn into his first term Jan. 3, said in a statement Saturday that police must be held to a high standard.
“It is incredibly disappointing and harmful to the LPD’s mission to serve when officers fall so far short of what most would consider even a minimum standard,” Nicholson said. “I’m grateful that the Lynn Police Department conducted such a thorough investigation and has made it clear that it will not tolerate this type of inappropriate behavior.”
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Travis Andersen of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com.