Troopers accused in OT Scam
From the Globe:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/03/20/state-troopers-face-possible-discipline-overtime-scam-probe/uwrRzXj94gfQPIYKKa2B7L/story.html
FRAMINGHAM — In another black eye for the scandal-ridden
Massachusetts State Police, 20 active troopers face potential sanctions
for the apparent theft of overtime pay, with the most egregious alleged
offenders putting in for as many as 100 no-show shifts, officials said
Tuesday.
In a state agency where 245 troopers — about 12
percent of the force — made more than $200,000 last year, an internal
audit of Troop E, a division that covers the Massachusetts Turnpike,
found “apparent discrepancies between overtime paid and actual patrols
worked,” State Police Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, superintendent of the
force, said at a morning news conference.
Nineteen
troopers face internal duty status hearings in the coming days to
determine whether they’ll be suspended, Gilpin said. Another trooper who
was already suspended for another matter and a retiree are also being
investigated. If it were not for a motorists who challenged a speeding ticket on the Pike, we would have never known about any of this. Only after Channel 5 did a piece on it, did the new Colenel Gilpin step up. Imagine what we don't know and how much that costs us all.
It's unfortunate that the AG's office is leading an investigation into the State Cops. As we know, her office and the Staties are in the same bed. This will be just another back page article weeks from now and no one will be punished and the system of entitlement will never go away. And while you may think the Governor is on top of this.. he just wants it all to go away as well.
Readers of this blog will remember me writing about Framingham PD and sick time as it relates to overtime over the past 5 years. It's over the top year after year and no one is willing to investigate. I submit, an audit of OT should be done in Framingham, but those in charge won't dare put forward such a request. Keep in mind, we are already a million in the red for this years budget.
Good thing for FPD and FFD that I din't get elected to the council.
posted by Jim Pillsbury @ 1:20 PM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
If you thought the State Cops were bad... how about Boston?
From the Globe
Boston police overtime pay hits $66.9m
Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff/File 2017
By Laura Crimaldi Globe Staff February 16, 2018
The city’s police overtime bill grew last year by nearly $6 million to $66.9 million — an increase the department chalked up to staffing large events such as the 2017 Super Bowl victory parade, the Women’s March, Sail Boston, and two “free speech” rallies held on Boston Common.
The city tied about $5 million of police overtime to the large gatherings.
“All these large public safety events require a lot of police resources,” said Lieutenant Detective Michael McCarthy, a department spokesman. “Those are most often paid for with overtime hours.”
What about the 61 million dollars left?
Do that math. The BPD could hire 250 new officers at $100,000 each to eliminate overtime. That would save them over $40 Million in overtime. Even if you assume and extre $30,000 per officer for benefits, you are still looking at a savings of over $30 Million. But the Police Union does not want to give that money up for their members, so you will never see that happen.
As to the State Police, sounds like there is a lot of corruption there, but this new Chief seems to be taking it on, so lets hope she survives what I am sure is the anger of her subordinates.
What a mess. What is the overtime budget like for Framingham Police? Hopefully a lot better than Boston and the State Police, or maybe they are all corrupt.
Often now we see what a small crack leads to in corruption cases. Just that little opening by one guy who challenged his speeding ticket on the Pike, then Channel 5 and the Globe.. now just the Globe. Thank God we have the Globe and it's great investigative reporters, armed with Public Information Requests.
We now learn, from the Globe, 79% of the Troopers in Troop F made more than the Governor. In all, 32.5 million was spent on OT at the airport and surrounding district. Some may remember the clash between Boston Cops and the States a few years back, over the territory. The president of the Beacon Hill Institute suggests a limit to how much of overtime pay a State Police officer can have... and I agree.
Is there the same issue here in Framingham with OT for cops? Given what we already know abut FPD, my guess is that there is a problem, but no one in this City would ever even talk about it. Last year, there were over 42 cops who made 6 figures and above.
Cops being cops. They figure they can get away with anything. Nice to see someone doing something about this
amen on that as in the end, we will find that this goes back many years. They are the kings and queens of the entitled class.
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