Boston police brass are cracking down on cops who fail to show up for lucrative paid details, talk excessively on their cell phones at job sites and commit other infractions, reports the Boston Herald. Superintendent Dan Linskey, chief of patrol officers, has been checking on cops on private details to ensure that they are on post, well dressed and not idling in air-conditioned cars, smoking in the street, or having prolonged cell phone calls. “I don't like them sitting in the cars. I don't like when they are staring into a hole. I don't like long cell phone conversations on the street. And appearance is very important to me,” Linskey said.
Any officer found not doing the job properly is reprimanded and asked not to turn in the $37-an-hour detail card for payment, Linskey said. Details have posed an image problem for police departments across the state. Massachusetts is one of the only states that requires utility companies, contractors and trouble-prone nightclubs to hire uniformed officers to patrol sites and direct traffic. Critics contend that paid details add millions to taxpayer funded construction projects while forcing utilities to pass the costs on to bill payers.
Link: http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=1016366