John Peter Hoerr
Experience in Law Enforcement
John Peter Hoerr (who goes by Peter) has served 40 years as an officer and leader in
municipal and university policing.
Before retiring from his full-time role at the rank of captain in 2019, his assignment as
the Belmont Police Department’s internal affairs investigator gave him the experience of
conducting 120 investigations, small and large. Following retirement, he contracted with
John Scheft’s Law Enforcement Dimensions for six years to provide legal research,
writing, and training for police officers. Peter has taught his signature class, POST
COMPLIANT INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATIONS, to hundreds of the state’s
professional standards investigators and their chiefs. He also teaches about de-
escalation, the Brady List, and pension forfeiture.
Peter is an attorney and an MPTC-certified legal topics instructor, currently teaching the
in-service Firearms Law Refresher class for the Committee.
While a licensed private investigator, Peter contracted to provide police internal affairs
and firefighter background investigations.
Peter is a member of the National Internal Affairs Investigator’s Association (NIAIA) and
the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE). He has
attended the Force Science courses for Force Analyst and Realistic De-escalation
Instructor as well as conferences presented by NIAIA and NACOLE.
Peter is a POST-certified officer in Massachusetts, an Honors graduate of New England Law, Boston(1996), and a member of the 75th New Hampshire Police Academy (1986).
The Belmont Police awarded Peter with the Meritorious Service Medal in 2013 for
actions taken to prevent a woman’s suicide and with the ribbon for service during the
Marathon/Watertown incidents.
About OUR MISSION
What Does PACIT Stand For, and Why We Exist
We are an organization offering training for Massachusetts police officers.
Always Evolving
As law enforcement evolves, so do we. New courses are offered when and if need arises. Without training, officers can fall behind the curve and lack crucial knowledge necessary to keep others safe while protecting themselves and their neighborhoods, WITHOUT exposing themselves and their departments to legal liability.
Our Solutions
Our training consists of vital information about the legal landscape each officer operates within.