Fed-up and furious: Gov urged to put State Police into receivership

“Zero faith” in the Massachusetts State Police has critics calling for an overhaul of the embattled agency — and even a forced receivership.

The fury comes after yet another scandal that had troopers paraded into federal court in Boston this past week on bribery charges linked to coveted commercial driver’s licenses.

Statements from the MSP brass and union quickly followed, but the never-ending loop of overtime abuse, drunken driving and now bribery allegations are unacceptable, watchdogs say.

“The DOJ could look into all of this and put the State Police into receivership,” said Dennis Galvin, president of the Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement (MAPLE). The Justice Department does not comment on any investigations.

“The worst part of all this is it’s undermining confidence in the law,” Galvin, a retired state police major, told the Herald. “Our members are heartbroken over what’s happening.”

Galvin is calling on Gov. Maura Healey to “do something,” adding that “If there is one organization that needs to be in receivership, it has to be this organization.”

The Pioneer Institute is also calling on Healey to clamp down on the State Police but falling short of a receivership.

Mary Connaughton, Pioneer’s director of Government Transparency and chief operating officer, said the “tainted” troopers have taxpayers questioning what they are paying for.

Last year’s State Police payroll shows 42 MSP members earning $300,000 or more — with three lieutenants in that group surpassing $400,000, a Herald payroll analysis shows.

The high pay, federal prosecutors say in a 74-count indictment, didn’t deter State Police officers and civilian employees of trading favors in exchange for unearned commercial drivers licenses.

“It’s a shame that the many honest, hard-working state police officers are tainted by the actions of their corrupt co-workers,” said Connaughton. “But right now, there is zero faith that the Massachusetts State Police as a whole are acting in the public’s best interest. How could there be with the drunken driving, the crime lab and crime report tampering, Troop E’s overtime gambit, Troop F’s payroll gaming, and the recent bribery scandal?”

Connaughton added: “That’s a long list of law enforcers turning lawbreakers. Fighting a culture of corruption and regaining the public trust will require a complete management overhaul, sustained oversight on ethics, and a major re-brand.”

The Healey administration said they have already taken steps to clean up the State Police. That includes body-worn and cruiser camera programs; GPS devices in “all” MSP vehicles; payroll audits; training programs; accreditation renewal for MSP Crime Laboratory; moving an Inspector General’s Office unit within MSP headquarters in Framingham; and mentorship programs.

Col. John Mawn Jr., the Interim Superintendent of the MSP, said in a video statement that the agency demands “all members to conduct themselves with integrity, honesty, and in accordance with all federal and state laws and Department policies, rules, and regulations.”

He added that it is “disheartening” to the nearly 3,000-member agency to see their department in the headlines again.

It’s also a blow to the troopers who refused to take the COVID vaccine in 2020 who are still unemployed, but suing, after being fired.

Galvin said a key issue still not addressed is the power the State Police union has, especially having sergeants allowed in the union as they oversee troopers who are fellow members.

“The union has way too much power,” he said. “It’s an investigation of power from the Legislature on down with no oversight.”

All this, he lamented, as they MSP “goes down the tubes.”

Go scan all MSP pay at bostonherald.com’s “Your Tax Dollars at Work” report.

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