State Police look to fire at least 22 former Troop E members involved in overtime scandal

BOSTON — At least 22 Massachusetts State Police members could be fired in connection with the Troop E scandal, Colonel Christopher Mason announced Friday.

Those troopers are former members of Troop E, which was disbanded after an investigation uncovered rampant time card fraud and overtime abuse in the unit that used to patrol the Mass. Turnpike.

Mason announced in a news conference Friday morning he would be seeking to fire those members and seek restitution, which could come in the form of pension forfeiture.

Based on internal audits launched in 2017, State Police referred a total of 46 current and former Department personnel to the US Attorney’s office and Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, who sought criminal charges against 10 of those individuals.

“These notifications signal the beginning of the process to administer discipline for the 22 members charged,” Col. Mason said in a press release. “I anticipate that a number of these officers will be terminated as a result of this process. In addition to the specific punishment imposed, we will ensure that restitution is ordered. In every case, we will require that the Trooper reimburse the taxpayers -- dollar for dollar -- any money paid for hours not worked, in addition to a substantive punitive penalty." State police officials said Friday they will not disclose that number “because the disciplinary process is still underway.”

Of the officers identified, 36 have been charged by the internal affairs department, including 14 who have retired.

Internal Affairs charges were sustained against all of the remaining 36, Colonel Mason said. Of that number, 14 have retired and charges against them have been sustained, and State Police notified the State Retirement Board of the findings. Colonel Mason yesterday directed the Internal Affairs Section to notify the 22 personnel still employed by State Police that he would recommend their termination – and seek full restitution from them. Of the 22, 13 troopers have been on active duty during the internal investigation and nine have been suspended without pay. As of now, they will not be releasing the names of the 22 troopers.

Earlier this month, state police outlined some of the reforms introduced in the wake of the scandal, including detailed GPS tracking for cruisers, and increased oversight and auditing.

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