GRANBY — A former police lieutenant who worked for the Granby Police Department for 25 years has promised to never work in Massachusetts law enforcement again following an agreement he signed with the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission last month.
Gary Poehler, who was employed by Granby from March 2000 to April 2025, participated in “conduct unbecoming” of an officer, a non-minor policy violation and harassment, according to the POST’s online database of disciplinary records. The longtime officer allegedly paid subordinate employees to complete his college coursework, made sexually explicit comments in front of employees and intimidated a complainant with his truck, records show.
The database states that Poehler resigned/retired due to discipline. Poehler is also prohibited from seeking recertification or employment in law enforcement or contesting the investigation’s findings in court.
Poehler’s conduct violations are echoed in his “Brady” letter, a formal disclosure sent by the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office to defense attorneys about officers who have been accused of misconduct if those officers are scheduled to testify against their defendant in court. Named after the 1963 Supreme Court case, Brady v. Maryland, prosecutors must disclose an officer’s disciplinary history to the defense.
The letter said an independent investigation into Poehler’s behavior sustained claims of cheating, harassment and intimidation. It notes that the college courses Poehler enrolled in resulted in a bachelor’s degree and subsequent pay raise.
A dispatcher and police officer completed Poehler’s assignments while he was enrolled part-time at Springfield Technical Community College and Westfield State University from May 2017 to June 2020, the agreement with POST said.
During his tenure, Poehler made sexually explicit comments and told stories to and about women at the workplace. The investigation also found that this created a “hostile work environment” for other officers and staff, the “Brady” letter said.
After he resigned on April 30, 2025, Poehler allegedly used his truck to intimidate one of the officers who submitted a complaint against him. A Granby Police investigation conducted by Sgt. Stephen Marion describes an incident on May 3, where Poehler noticed the officer on duty, turned around across marked lanes, and drove his vehicle close to the officer’s vehicle, staring and pointing as he passed.
The officer reported a second incident of aggressive driving on May 7. According to Marion’s report, Poehler again passed the officer, “squealing his tires” and turning on his high beams before passing at high speeds.
Poehler’s lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
