After a Boston Globe report revealed that dozens of Massachusetts State Police troopers with past incidents of illegal conduct remain on the force, a Pittsfield state representative says Governor Charlie Baker is responsible.
The Globe’s review of State Police internal affairs files showed that troopers with connections to organized crime, OUIs, sexual harassment charges and more remain on the force today. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, the Democrat who represents the 3rd Berkshire District in the statehouse, says Baker, a Republican, must take action to reform the department.
“Well the state police fall directly under the governor, and the governor has failed at this," she told WAMC. "He has to take full responsibility for what’s happening with the state police, and make sure it gets fixed.”
The Massachusetts State Police are also embroiled in a scandal involving dozens of troopers who submitted fraudulent payroll records to collect overtime for hours they didn’t work.