"Officers punished in steroid inquiry; Move marks end to 3-year Boston investigation" by Maria Cramer, Globe Staff | July 3, 2009
The punishments were the culmination of a three-year investigation into steroid use at the department that began in August 2006, soon after the FBI arrested Officer Roberto “Kiko’’ Pulido for trying to traffic cocaine.
I'm beginning to understand certain things more.
The FBI investigation revealed that Pulido, a steroid user, frequently guarded parties at an after-hours club in Hyde Park called the “Boom Boom Room.’’ At the club, located above an auto body shop at 24 Factory St., prostitutes and dancers mingled with police and alcohol and drugs were readily available.
Being a COP is ONE BIG PARTY, 'eh?
Pulido pleaded guilty in November 2008 to charges that he conspired to traffic cocaine and heroin from Western Massachusetts to Jamaica Plain. He was sentenced to 26 years in federal prison. Three other officers also pleaded guilty on drug-related charges.
Keep that S*** OUT of MY AREA!!!!!
The disciplinary action announced yesterday ends one of the most embarrassing chapters in the department’s history, but questions linger about how effective the police can be in controlling steroid use in the department considering how difficult it is to test for the drug. Steroid testing is much more expensive than other narcotics tests and can be less accurate, yielding false positives....
Oh, so NOW they are WORRIED about the accuracy of the drug tests!!
Yeah, when it is YOUR PISS in a CUP you LOOK at it a BIT DIFFERENTLY, don't you, copper?
Thomas Drechsler, a lawyer who represented seven of the officers, said his clients are anxious to get past the ordeal: “Everyone is just pleased to put this behind them, turn the page, and move on with their careers.’’
I'm speechless.
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"Quinn Bill funds gutted in budget; Cities, towns left to cover most of the police bonus" by Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff | July 1, 2009
The state’s $40 million cut this week in a bonus program for local police officers has put many cities and towns across Massachusetts in legal and financial limbo, as they wrestle with unexpected salary costs, sudden retirements, and potentially thorny negotiations with labor unions.
Now I know I'm supposed to be screaming about taxpayer waste; however, I'm actually for this. We SHOULD have EDUCATED , WELL-PAID COPS so they aren't on the take (see above). I know the program probably gets ripped off; however, we give enough tax loot away.
Need money?
Pigs at the State Trough
A Slow Saturday Special: Statehouse Slush Fund
Biotech Giveaway Was Borrowed Money
Massachusetts Residents Taken For a Ride
How many times I gotta put 'em up? Just remember WHO stuck up for you when you get ready to swing that club, copper!
The budget that Governor Deval Patrick signed into law Monday guts the program, known as the Quinn Bill, which boosts the salaries of police officers with college degrees. Lawmakers reduced its funding by 80 percent from last year, from more than $50 million to $10 million.
Yeah, I would LIKE them to KNOW the LAW (and Constitution).
The program’s costs are typically split 50-50 between the state and the 254 participating communities. But following the dramatic cut, municipal officials, police chiefs, and unions across the state are scrambling to determine if local taxpayers will have to make up the difference or if thousands of officers will lose at least part of an annual benefit that averages more than $10,000.
That's POCKET CHANGE for HOLLYWOOD!
In some communities, police unions had negotiated that local taxpayers would pay for the entirety of the benefit if the state cut Quinn Bill funding. That means cash-strapped Lynn, which recently laid off more than 100 school employees and 40 municipal workers, must now foot the bill for an additional $500,000 to pay police officers who have pursued degrees beyond high school....
See: The Lynn Lootings
In addition to gutting funding, lawmakers and the governor also barred any officers hired starting today from participating in the incentive program. The dramatic changes to the Quinn Bill - fiercely protected by law enforcement, but often controversial since its 1970 enactment - could prompt legal battles between unions and municipalities and shake up police departments.
Chiefs, officers, and local officials also said yesterday that they expect it to trigger a wave of retirements, and they worry it could discourage future officers from joining police ranks. The Quinn Bill encourages police officers to pursue higher education by rewarding them with a 10 percent bonus for an associate’s degree, 20 percent for a bachelor’s degree, and 25 percent for a master’s. Everyone is eligible, from patrolmen to chiefs. Communities front the money and are supposed to be reimbursed by the state for half....
I think it is worth it. Police officers SHOULD KNOW the LAW!
The lack of debate on Beacon Hill about cutting the Quinn Bill irked municipal leaders and the law enforcement community....
Nothing new there: The Perils of One-Party Politics: Massachusetts' Democracy
“There were cuts across the board in the budget, and no one was spared,’’ said David Falcone, a spokesman for Senate President Therese Murray.
Except CERTAIN ETHNOCENTRIC INTERESTS, right, Ms. Hollywood?!
“The president believes in a professional police force and that they should be paid more if they earn an advanced degree, similar to teachers,’’ Falcone said. “But unfortunately the state won’t have the money to do it, and it’s going to have to come from municipalities.’’
But they WILL HAVE $300 MILLION to SUBSIDIZE PROFITABLE Hollywood!
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Although I must admit, nothing is worse than police crying poverty.
WASHINGTON - The nation’s police departments are clamoring for an unprecedented amount of federal aid to forestall big local tax hikes or the possible layoff of nearly 40,000 police officers - enough to staff the entire New York City department.
When President Obama signed the economic stimulus bill earlier this year, $1 billion was set aside to help local and state police avoid layoffs or keep their police academy classes intact.
The response has been staggering: Departments applied for more than $8.3 billion in aid, meaning only a fraction of the demand can be met....
Yeah, but the Boston cops got time to cruise the strip, bust brothels, hang out in bars, buy drugs, and worry about cellphones while ROBBERIES, RAPES, and MURDERS go UNSOLVED!!!
And that "good Samaritan" you thought you saw?
“Earlier this month, police wrapped up a 30-day sting involving plainclothes officers mimicking tourists and other pedestrians. Once they were panhandled, they essentially became victims guaranteed to show up for a trial”
More than 7,200 aid applications poured into the Justice Department, and those applying say that nearly 40,000 cops could be laid off without federal help. There is no way to verify the number....
I'm tired of government and media not being able to verify anything.
Then WTF is in my paper other than bulls***?
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