As Hopkinton Police Sgt. Tim Brennan prepares to appear before the Select Board for a Loudermill hearing on his potential termination, Local 254, the Police/Fire Dispatchers Union, submitted a letter to the Select Board urging members to take Brennan’s “superlative career and personality” into consideration.

The hearing, originally scheduled for Tuesday but postponed because of the snowstorm, will be held at the Hopkinton Senior Center on Friday at 5 p.m. It will center around internal and external findings that Brennan failed to report accusations about sexual assault alleged against a fellow officer, former Deputy Chief John “Jay” Porter, when Porter served as the HPD school resource officer. As the appointing authority, the Select Board is holding this Loudermill hearing to allow Brennan to explain his actions and the reasoning behind them.

In the letter dated Jan. 17, the union recognized the challenges the situation presented while emphasizing Brennan’s outgoing personality, courteous demeanor, willingness to share knowledge and feedback, and positive relationships within the department as well as Town Hall and the community.

“We as a union understand the difficult task laid before you,” the letter began, “and while this letter is not to comment on the facts of the situation that you are currently deliberating, we wanted to highlight the superlative career and personality that is Sergeant Tim Brennan, as a coworker, and how he has served this community as a whole.

“This current case is ongoing and the task laid before you is daunting,” it continued. “[H]owever, discussions that occur amongst the members seem to always focus on how Tim has always served this community, and how he has been a phenomenal coworker. We would always discuss how every single person who came to or called the station somehow knew Tim or had heard of Tim, and would ask about him or ask to speak to him directly. Tim always left such an impact on the community that they knew he was always willing to help or give advice on any situation they were dealing with.”

Brennan has been on paid administrative leave since May 2023. The town has not provided information on the reason, noting that it is an employment matter. Brennan has been on the force since 2005 and was promoted to sergeant in 2014 after serving as a school resource officer and detective. He became the SRO when Porter was promoted from his stint in that role in 2005.

In May 2023, Porter pleaded not guilty to three counts of child rape. He is charged with committing these acts in September 2004 and June 2005, while the alleged victim was a 15-year-old sophomore at Hopkinton High School.

According to an email from the Town Manager’s office to Brennan dated Jan. 9 and included in the Select Board agenda packet, HPD Chief Joseph Bennett intends to fire Brennan for violating several department policies stemming from allegations that Porter raped a student while serving as a student resource officer. These policies include not reporting to law enforcement the alleged inappropriate sexual contact between a minor and “the accused,” alleged sexual assault, and alleged rape of a minor. Another allegation claimed that Brennan used the alleged victim of sexual assault as a babysitter. Brennan also is accused of failing to report his knowledge that the alleged victim “was pursuing a criminal investigation and was concerned for her safety, and [Brennan] failed to report her concern to law enforcement.”