State Police uncovered more trooper payroll issues last year. This time, they kept it in-house
September 15, 2020 [email protected]_84 inhouse, Issues, payroll, police, State, Time, trooper, uncovered, year
When indictments were unfurled, his name was never mentioned. The state's largest law enforcement agency never forwarded its investigation to prosecutors. The agency released it only last month, in response to a records request the Globe filed in December.
Lynch, who resigned as union president last year while facing union dissent, remains on the force today as a supervisor, relocated to a barracks that was at the center of the overtime fraud scandal. He collected $62,900 in overtime pay through August of this year, records show, significantly more than he earned in any year over the last decade.
Lynch's case raises questions about how seriously the department handles pay abuse and how many other troopers may have escaped sanctions.
Dennis Galvin, a retired State Police major and president of the Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement, said prosecutors should examine the case.
"This continues to smear the image of the Massachusetts State Police," he said. "It does not provide confidence that significant and meaningful changes have been made."
In a statement, State Police spokesman David Procopio said the department never shared details with prosecutors because Lynch's misconduct was "administrative in nature" and "relatively minor." Procopio said Colonel Christopher Mason has since made changes to "foster a culture of accountability," and the department "has reiterated to its members that such actions are not permissible under policy and implemented mandatory training."
Procopio declined to say what discipline Lynch faced, but records reviewed by the Globe show he received a letter of counseling — the second-lowest form of discipline — ordering him to reread internal policies and not violate them again.
Governor Charlie Baker, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment, as did public safety Secretary Thomas Turco.
Reached by phone, Lynch said: "I'm not going to comment on this."
The internal investigation determined Lynch was paid more than the actual hours he worked, including for a shift along the 2017 Boston Marathon route. He also had overlapped work assignments and changed the start time of paid details without authorization, including detail shifts directing traffic for Sunday services at a Revere church.
The department also found he had "misrepresented his knowledge" to a superior officer when first questioned. The department told the Globe it ultimately did not consider this lying, a more serious charge.
While the investigation does not identify how much he earned improperly, a conservative estimate is at least $2,000 during the four months investigators examined.
By comparison, troopers criminally charged or suspended without pay in the overtime scandal were accused of fraudulently collecting from nearly $3,000 to more than $51,000 over three years.
A spokeswoman for Attorney General Maura Healey declined to comment, but confirmed the office was never notified of Lynch's case. US Attorney Andrew E. Lelling's office declined to comment.
Brenda J. Bond-Fortier, a law enforcement expert and Suffolk University professor, said Lynch's case is likely to anger taxpayers.
"People want assurances that the organization is changing, and these kinds of cases work against them," she said.