The Arlington police lieutenant who is taking over as head of the Massachusetts Police Association has been relieved of duty and placed on paid administrative leave from his police department after writing columns railing against criminal justice reform and progressive policing practices.

Rick Pedrini was placed on paid leave and relieved of duty Tuesday, according to a statement by Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine and Police Chief Frederick Ryan

"The statements were written by Richard Pedrini in his capacity as a leader in the independent, non-profit Massachusetts Police Association," the statement said.

The town is now conducting an investigation.

"The columns written by Mr. Pedrini in the Sentinel newsletter directly contradict the values, morals and mission statement of the Arlington Police Department," Ryan said. "Such remarks risk eroding the public trust that municipal police departments in Massachusetts have worked so hard to build in recent years. I disavow the remarks in the strongest possible terms, and this matter will be dealt with swiftly and certainly."

Chapdelaine found the columns, which were first reported by MassLive, disturbing.

"I am deeply disturbed by the apparent disregard for human life and for the duty of a police officer shown by Richard Pedrini in the Massachusetts Police Association newsletter," he said. "These comments do not represent the mission and values of the Arlington Police Department or the Town of Arlington. The sentiment raised by these comments is disturbing. The town is taking these comments very seriously, and we will thoroughly investigate this matter."

Pedrini, who will soon become the MPA's executive director and has worked for the Arlington Police Department since 1996, wrote three columns railing against criminal justice reform, progressive policing practices, migrants seeking asylum and Colin Kaepernick.

"I am sick and tired of the social justice warriors telling us how to do our jobs. It's time we forget about 'restraint', 'measured responses', 'procedural justice', 'de-escalation', 'stigma-reduction', and other feel-good BS that is getting our officers killed," Pedrini wrote in the 2018 edition of The Sentinel, the official publication of the MPA. "Let's stop lipsynching, please! Let's meet violence with violence and get the job done."

He also wrote about the men accused of killing Yarmouth Sgt. Sean Gannon and Weymouth Sgt. Michael Chesna earlier this year.

Pedrini called the two men "maggots" and "animals" who "can only be 'rehabilitated' when they are put down."

The columns also criticized the criminal reform bill signed into law in April.

The MPA is a law enforcement advocacy organization that provides services for officers and lobbies for legislation to support police.

Carol Rose, the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, released her own statement about Pedrini's columns.

"Law enforcement is meant to promote public safety and protect the peace," Rose said.

"These disturbing statements made by the Massachusetts Police Association's executive director raise the question: Do his views represent those of the MPA? Do Massachusetts police - as a group represented by the MPA - actually prefer violence to de-escalation," she added. "Such deeply dangerous approaches to law enforcement have been proven time and again to be bad for both public safety and civil liberties. We urge the MPA and all members of law enforcement to reject this approach and to instead embrace community policing efforts that keep us safe and free."