The entire Massachusetts state police force is under investigation, with an internal audit linking 21 current and former troopers to overtime abuse in 2016 now expanded into a department-wide probe, and Attorney General Maura Healey is pursuing potential criminal charges, the Boston Herald reports. State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin said she was “disheartened.” She expanded the probe to include the entire department in order to regain the trust of the public. She said the number of paid OT shifts that may not have been worked ranged from 1 to 100 per trooper.
“We are expanding this audit even further, to examine all traffic enforcement overtime shifts worked by department members in all troops,” Gilpin said. “The point of that is to determine if there are any discrepancies between overtime paid, and actual patrols worked department-wide. … It’s very disheartening, not just to me, but to all the hard-working members of the state police. To think that these alleged actions occurred, not just prior to me, but now under my watch. … We are looking at all overtime totals to make sure this does not happen again.” The audit into the 2016 overtime mishandling was launched by former Col. Richard McKeon. Gilpin was appointed to the top post in November by Gov. Charlie Baker after McKeon’s abrupt retirement over accusations he forced troopers to alter an embarrassing police report involving the daughter of a judge. Gilpin said 19 active troopers face duty status hearings in which punishments such as suspensions, with or without pay, can be levied against them. Baker said that if troopers are found to have taken taxpayer money they didn’t earn via overtime, they will “face the music.”