Mass. police watchdog decertifies officer guilty of domestic assault

Mass. police watchdog decertifies officer guilty of domestic assault

A police officer who pleaded guilty to charges connected to a series of domestic assaults has been decertified by the Massachusetts law enforcement watchdog, a move that carries a lifetime ban from police work in the commonwealth.Nivaldo Mendes, a former member of the New Bedford Police Department, was charged in January with three instances last year of misdemeanor assault and battery on a family or household member. He also faced two felony ch…