Colonel Noble Testimony to Parole Board in Opposition to Parole for Trooper George Hanna's Convicted Killer

Trooper George Hanna-E.O.W. February 26, 1983

My name is Colonel Geoffrey Noble, and I serve as the Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.  I sit before you today on behalf of all members, past and present, of the Massachusetts State Police to oppose the consideration of parole for Jose Colon.

I’m here to speak not only of the impact that Trooper George Hanna’s death had on those who knew and loved him, but also of the ways in which Trooper Hanna’s life is remembered and honored by law enforcement across the state.

You will hear of George Hanna as a son, a father, a community member, and the incredible human being that he was, but in the moment of George’s death, in addition to those incredible descriptors of the man, he was a uniformed law enforcement officer, on duty, doing his job. He represented, in that moment, the very institution that maintains a civilized, democratic, and free society.  That society is based on respect for our fellow citizens and the rule of law. Jose Colon chose to blatantly and callously violate the respect for George both as a human being and as a uniformed Massachusetts State Trooper.

Simply stated, Jose Colon made a deliberate decision to attack and kill a law enforcement officer—a uniformed Massachusetts State Trooper. We must never minimize this fact.

On that Saturday, February 26th of 1983, Trooper Hanna did what so many members of law enforcement do each day in this country.  He picked up a shift, put on his French and electric blue uniform, said goodbye to his daughter, and set out in cruiser #668 to start his shift.  He did all of that, never likely thinking that this shift, or the goodbye to his daughter, would be his last.

Jose Colon himself admits that after being here in Massachusetts for a total of two and a half weeks, just one night after committing an armed robbery, he decided to go with two others to rob a liquor store at gunpoint.  That decision started a chain of events that resulted in the death of an honorable and faithful public servant who was merely conducting a traffic stop.

Jose Colon, armed with a .22 caliber revolver, decided that rather than face arrest for the crimes he had committed and was in the act of committing, he would shoot Trooper George Hanna multiple times.

The facts of the case show that at approximately 8:30pm, Trooper Hanna turned on his cruiser’s lights and used his loudspeaker to tell the driver of a Red Vega to pull over in a liquor store parking lot on Route 20 in Auburn.  Jose Colon is one of three men in the car.  Trooper Hanna asks the three men to get out of the car, and as he begins to frisk one of the men, a struggle ensues, and in Jose Colon’s own statement, he says, “ I started firing the gun I was carrying in the direction of the Trooper."  We know Trooper Hanna is shot by Jose Colon’s .22 caliber pistol in the arm, the chest, and by his gun belt.  As Trooper Hanna is down, injured, and struggling on his hands and knees, Jose Colon takes that .22 caliber and shoots the brave Trooper in the back, four times.        

To be clear, Jose Colon didn’t kill Trooper Hanna in a gun battle.  The facts show that Trooper Hanna was never able to get his gun out of its holster that night.

When Jose Colon’s bullets pierced the French and electric blue uniform and entered George’s body, I believe that action forfeited Jose Colon’s expectation to live as a free man in our civilized society.

This attack on Trooper George Hanna was, in effect, an attack on all police officers, and on the dignity and respect of the women and men who take an oath to serve and protect.

There must be a line that, as a society, we are unwilling to cross. When someone chooses to cross that line, as Jose Colon did on February 26, 1983, we cannot allow such an affront to justice to go unanswered.

The Massachusetts State Police will never forget Trooper George Hanna.

Trooper Hanna was a true hero, and each year, we remember him by honoring law enforcement officers from across the state who demonstrated courage and bravery in the face of certain danger to protect the public.  The Hanna awards have been given out since 1983, in George’s memory.  Each year, George’s family is present as Troopers, and local law enforcement officers from across the Commonwealth are bestowed with this prestigious honor in the name of one of our finest.

I ask that the board consider the message that potentially granting Mr. Colon a second chance would send to public servants who raise their hands to protect and serve the public, at the risk of great sacrifice to themselves and their families.  We have an obligation to stand up for those who make that commitment, and when someone attacks a uniformed law enforcement officer, while they are doing their job, it is our duty to ensure that justice is served.  We must reaffirm our collective agreement as a society that we will never be tolerant of the murder of a public servant.

Mr. Colon talks of embracing the second chance the Mattis decision has given him.  But there will be no second chance for Trooper George Hanna.  There will be no opportunity to turn down that overtime shift, no chance to tell his daughter he was going to stay home, no avoiding that trip down Route 20 in Auburn.  Trooper George Hanna has no such luxury because of Jose Colon’s actions that night.

On behalf of the Massachusetts State Police, on behalf of the law enforcement community, and on behalf of the family and friends of George Hanna, who should have had the privilege of growing old alongside him, I formally request that this group deny Jose Colon’s request for parole.

Thank you for your time and for the opportunity to address this board.

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