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BPD captain convicted for role in Hyde Park warehouse overtime scam
By adamg on Sat, 03/16/2024 - 10:37am
A federal jury yesterday convicted the one-time head of the Boston Police evidence warehouse in Hyde Park of helping to run a long running overtime scam in which officers would routinely put in for overtime they never worked.
Retired BPD Capt. Richard Evans, 65, of Hanover, who oversaw the Evidence Control Unit on Hyde Park Avenue, was convicted of convicted of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, theft concerning programs receiving federal finds, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, the US Attorney's office reports. Evans is now scheduled for sentencing on June 20.
Federal agents made an initial round of arrests of Evidence Control Unit commanders and officers in 2020. More were arrested in 2021, including Evans and former union President Thomas Nee, who went to work there after he lost a re-election bid for his union job to Patrick Rose, who turned out to be a pedophile.
In all 15 people were arrested in connection with the warehouse scandal. However, a federal jury acquitted four of the officers last year after hearing testimony they were actually acting according to longstanding department policy in the way they filled out their overtime slips.
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Comments
Regarding the four who were acquitted
Sure is fun when the people who ostensibly are supposed to uphold and enforce the law don't get convicted for breaking it because it turns out that breaking the law was just policy
What a disgrace
Most workers punch time cards. One would think that in public safety there would be a system for proving who was on the job, where and when. The "Longstanding department policy" was apparently a conspiracy to steal.
Good.....Now someone should investigate
The detail shakedown next.
It can't be legit just because the politicians say it is.
Contractors doing water pipe work on my street have two police details doing absolutely nothing ...daily. I'd go out and video it but I'm afraid they would make my life miserable. My husband says let it go....lol.
be glad your street is safer
presence is policing.
never do away with construction details. subsidy of a public good.
Lol safer
How is a detail cop sitting in their phone while making golden-time "safer" than if that same officer were walking a regular beat and getting to know the neighborhood?
Considering they'd burn the city down before giving up their details one possible compromise would be for cops to give up their personal cell phones for their ENTIRE shifts (and details) and be given a City issued flip phone without social media access.
Not a subsidy of public good
In the majority of cities in the nation construction workers do not need police details to protect them. That includes cities such as NYC and Chicago (which by Trump's measure would be considered war zones). So what makes Boston construction areas more dangerous than in other cities?
How do police sitting in the cars when on details provide protection? Does presence create a spiritual deflector shield that protects the workers from mischief makers?
Please come up with better rationalizations. The Trump Defense Force comes up with marvelous (albeit absurd) rationalizations. Perhaps buying some of their time could at least come up with a rationalization that is entertaining.
Safer?
Do you think the men working in the hole in the ground fixing the pipes felt safe? Two police officers with I'm guessing no construction training we're watching them inside of a coned-off area with barricades
and a sign with utility work ahead on it. what the police duty in this situation was is a mystery, they weren't directing traffic they were just watching guys work.........so safe .
Details are part of the culture of graft
Details are graft. They are required as part of the regular renegotiation between the city and the police unions. For the city to issue permits for any work the organization or company doing the work has to employ details to get the permits.
That includes work by BWSC, electrical, gas and telephonic, cable and internet companies, building construction companies and even homeowners if the project is large enough.
What makes details graft is that there is no need for them. They are attached to projects not because they serve a need but because of the police contracts that exert unethical control over the permitting process.
All police realize this. When a cop sits in their car and is paid for 4 hours while sitting in that car doing nothing it is impossible for the cop to not realize that they are paid for doing nothing.
This creates a culture of expecting payment that is illegitimate. So it is not surprising that officers who are in a position to pad their pay with false claims would follow the logic of details. Why shouldn't they? It's unfair that uniform cops who are on the streets get extra pay for doing nothing but cops who are stuck in office situations don't get to wet their beaks as well.
The argument that this is part of long standing policy is ironically accurate. What makes it accurate is that illegitimate and unethical money grabs are part of Boston (and Massachusetts) police culture.
Looking at Massachusetts state police scandals shows how a culture of unethical money grabs extends as far and deeply as even the state police.
One word
Unions