A Leominster, Mass., police officer could be suspended or fired if he is found to have called Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford a racial slur before a New Hampshire Fisher Cats game in Manchester last week, the city's mayor said Friday.

Police officers are “held to a different standard of conduct” than others, and it doesn't matter whether an officer is on duty or not, said Mayor Dean Mazzarella, a former Leominster patrol officer.

Mazzarella — who expects to decide by Tuesday on whether any punishment is warranted — said officials confirmed the white officer attended the July 5 game in Manchester, where Crawford, who is black, was rehabbing with the Portland Sea Dogs, a Red Sox affiliate.

Facebook postings and other tips led to the officer, who officials have refused to identify during the investigation, the mayor said. He said the officer has given his side of the story during the investigation by Police Chief Robert Healey. Mazzarella would not say whether the officer admitted to using a slur.

The accusations, he said, have “certainly cast a bad shadow on our city for now.”

Healey and union president John Fraher didn't return phone messages left Friday.

Crawford was signing autographs at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium before a game against the Fisher Cats when he said someone yelled a racial slur.

“He was the only one I had a problem with,” Crawford told reporters that night.

Crawford told reporters at Fenway Park last week that the fan had referred to him as a “Monday.” According to the Urban Dictionary, the term is “a word that can be used to describe a black person without insulting them with them knowing.”

Mazzarella said the police chief will make a recommendation to him Monday or Tuesday, and the mayor will make a decision by Tuesday.

Punishments “could be counseling, could be a warning, could be a suspension, could be termination,” Mazzarella said.

If the discipline is scheduled to last more than three days, the officer can request a hearing before the mayor, allowing the officer to call witnesses or testify himself, Mazzarella said. The officer can pursue the matter further through the civil service appeals process if he is not satisfied with the outcome of the hearing.

The officer has been on vacation, including the day of the game, and will be placed on desk duty until the matter is resolved, he said. The officer has been with the department for five years.

The department employs 90 to 100 civilian and uniformed workers, including around 60 patrol officers, Mazzarella said.

Fisher Cats officials last week said they weren't made aware of any disturbance until after Crawford's news conference near the end of the game.

“Following the game we were informed by Manchester Police that they had looked into the matter and handled the situation to their satisfaction — without having to involve our staff,” Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner said in a statement last week.

Manchester Police Chief David Mara didn't return a phone message left Friday afternoon.

On Friday, Brenner reiterated that if any person is identified as being responsible for the slur, “the team will not permit that individual back into the ballpark.”

Brenner noted fans were treated to big-league baseball talent that night.

“It's a shame that the inappropriate actions of one has shed such a negative light over an otherwise extremely positive experience for so many,” Brenner said.
mcousineau@unionleader.com