Andrew Kohl.jpg

Northampton police officer Andrew Kohl is seen in this file photo provided by NorthamptonMedia.com.

(David Reid / NorthamptonMedia.com file)

NORTHAMPTON - Police Officer Andrew Kohl was ordered to surrender all his guns last year when a district court judge approved a restraining order against him, records obtained from Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown show. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim.

On Wednesday, Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper denied a request by The Republican for internal affairs documents related to an alleged disturbance involving Kohl occurring at his South Hadley residence.

"Your request for these records is denied," the chief wrote, listing several reasons.

Among them, Kasper wrote: "Without an assurance of confidentiality of investigatory materials, witnesses would be discouraged from coming forth and speaking openly with law enforcement officials in matters alleging police misconduct. This, most certainly, would severely hinder law enforcement in its future investigative efforts."

A spokesman for Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan said on Jan. 20 that his office had no comment on the matter.



Mayor David J. Narkewicz' office confirmed on Feb. 19 that Kohl, 32, was placed on unpaid administrative leave on Nov. 24.

Asked for a time frame, the mayor's office said: "Kohl is on unpaid administrative leave until such time he is no longer on unpaid administrative leave."

The Belchertown district court judge granted the victim of Kohl's alleged abuse an abuse prevention order on Nov. 15, court records show.

"This order was issued without advance notice because the court determined that there is a substantial likelihood of immediate danger of abuse," the order states, and was extended to Nov. 16, when it was modified -- with Kohl provided opportunity to be present to state his case. On that day it was extended until Nov. 24.

At the Nov. 24 hearing, a judge extended the order until Feb. 23.

"You are ordered not to abuse the plaintiff by harming, threatening or attempting to harm the plaintiff physically or by placing the plaintiff in fear of imminent serious physical harm, or by using force, threat or duress to make the plaintiff engage in sexual relations," the court order states. "Violation of this order is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment or fine or both."

The judge's injunction against the Northampton police officer said that because "there is a substantial likelihood of immediate danger of abuse" towards the alleged victim, Kohl must surrender "all guns, ammunition, gun licenses and firearms identification cards" to the police.

Records also show the abuse prevention order was "terminated at plaintiff's request" on Dec. 3. In addition to the abuse prevention order, the plaintiff submitted an affidavit, filed with the court, that details what happened.

Telephone messages left for Kohl were not returned.

South Hadley Police Chief David Labrie denied a request by The Republican for the department's dispatch logs related to allegations of abuse by Kohl, saying a new state law forbids release of certain kinds of records, but the chief provided logs involving Kohl not related to the alleged abuse.

One shows South Hadley police responding to Kohl's home the afternoon of April 12, 2015, for "malicious damage."

"Kohl reports his departmental take home vehicle was egged by unknown parties last night. There is no damage, he believes it was job related, declined request to have officer respond for formal report. Requests extra patrol," the South Hadley police log states.

Kohl, and retired Northampton district court judge Michael Ryan, 69, who also served as the region's district attorney in the 1980s, were at the center of a controversial legal drama that riveted the valley for months.

Kohl arrested Ryan on Oct. 15 2010, and charged the former judge with allegedly assaulting him.

But in January 2011, a jury, after an hour's deliberation, acquitted Ryan.

Prior to the trial, the city's now-retired Police Chief Russell Sienkiewicz, became upset when the police video of the Ryan arrest was made public.

The ex-chief also criticized Ryan's defense team, who had released that video - pre-trial -- to the public -- after police had provided it to his legal team during the discovery process.

"Please understand, my position not to release docucam video is not based on any cover-up," Sienkiewicz said in a statement to the Northamptonmedia.com blog in November 2010, which first broadcast the video.

He said his preference against its public disclosure stemmed from a "longstanding belief any pretrial pictures or videos are an invasion of the arrested individual's privacy rights," the retired chief told the news blog.

"I am troubled by the defense team's (decision) to take video in evidence and release it in a manner to put his client in the court of public opinion, and not the court which rules on matters of law, and the violations delineated by assaultive behavior against a police officer," Sinkiewicz said.

Following his acquittal, Ryan said the video, which was played during the trial, "saved my life" - otherwise it would have been the word of four officers against him.

For reasons that have not been made known to the community, the audio portion of that police video has never been revealed, Ryan said.

The Northampton police reports, written by a quartet of officers, including Kohl, painted Ryan as drunk, belligerent, uncooperative, and they said he assaulted Kohl after he had seized Ryan's wallet to use information in it to identify him. Ryan said he was trying to snatch it back and that there was no probable cause for police to detain him to begin with.

Neither police nor the Berkshire County District Attorney, which prosecuted the case - instead of the Northwestern DA - appealed the district court jury verdict exonerating Ryan.