9 Boston police officers arrested in connection with overtime fraud scheme (income, taxes)

[Bridge781]

And I don’t think it’s ok that anyone would fudge overtime. I do wonder why there’s always so much media attention anytime cops do it though. You really don’t think it happens In other sectors like with firefighters or construction workers? Court workers? And if it truly is happening in police depts then maybe what they are getting paid should be looked at. They have to live in Boston for 10 years. They do make the choice to be cops but it’s gotten much more experience to live in the city in a very short time. I don’t think stealing is the answer but in the grand scheme of it all each person only had a few thousand a year added on to paychecks.

There’s so much animosity from the people and their precious tax dollar about what cops are paid.

[wolfgang239]

There is quite a bit of irony in defending the crimes of those who are deemed to be law enforcement. This is not the first time a prominent department in MA has committed fraud and stolen money from the state so obviously it will be getting a good amount of attention. Troop E scandal is still fresh. Sucks that cops are getting ripped a new one these days for the bad apples, you'd think a bit more self awareness would exist to prevent any more unwarranted attention towards their systemic criminal activities.

There was a ton of focus when it happened at the MBTA. A local firefighter also made the news for overtime abuses. The reason why you hear about these cases and not someone taking a 1hr lunch at Wayfair is because it is a public sector job. In many cases they have protections built in by the union so all you have to do is follow everything the way you bargained for it.

[Bridge781]

This really isn’t a serious crime. Maybe they were having trouble paying their mortgages. Again not saying what they did was right but people make excuses for poor people and why they commit crimes all the time. These days police aren’t exactly living high on the hog in this city and many others are. The wages have not kept of with the cost of living and they are forced to live in Boston. And not everyone has the luxury of just changing jobs either.

[CaseyB]

There's no excuses for this, I don't care how you want to justify it.

[Bridge781]

Well it’s all part of a bigger problem. And the same should be said to the people who justify criminal activity of the poor POC people throughout the city. There’s no excuse for criminal behavior and no one should excused from it then. People try to say oh poor them they’ve had a rough life. They were just selling drugs and stealing from people to feed their kids. Too bad.

[wolfgang239]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

Well it’s all part of a bigger problem. And the same should be said to the people who justify criminal activity of the poor POC people throughout the city. There’s no excuse for criminal behavior and no one should excused from it then. People try to say oh poor them they’ve had a rough life. They were just selling drugs and stealing from people to feed their kids. Too bad.

Ah, there it is. Don't worry you need not explain yourself I completely understand now.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by bridge781

this really isn’t a serious crime. Maybe they were having trouble paying their mortgages. Again not saying what they did was right but people make excuses for poor people and why they commit crimes all the time. These days police aren’t exactly living high on the hog in this city and many others are. The wages have not kept of with the cost of living and they are forced to live in boston. And not everyone has the luxury of just changing jobs either.

w o w !

[Cantabridgienne]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

I just don’t care. Either way my tax dollars are going go to something I don’t care about in the city of Boston one way or another. I recently moved out of Boston and now I could care less.

But you care that these Boston cops who stole money are being “embarrassed”? Do you object to all crimes being made public?

[Cantabridgienne]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

Well it’s all part of a bigger problem. And the same should be said to the people who justify criminal activity of the poor POC people throughout the city. There’s no excuse for criminal behavior and no one should excused from it then. People try to say oh poor them they’ve had a rough life. They were just selling drugs and stealing from people to feed their kids. Too bad.

But you literally made an excuse for the criminals stealing money because they are cops and maybe needed help paying their mortgage. Your choice of words “fudging overtime” vs “stealing money” confirms your bias.

Cop apologist, indeed. Part of the reason why it’s not “a few bad apples”, it’s a rotten orchard.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

And I don’t think it’s ok that anyone would fudge overtime. I do wonder why there’s always so much media attention anytime cops do it though. You really don’t think it happens In other sectors like with firefighters or construction workers? Court workers? And if it truly is happening in police depts then maybe what they are getting paid should be looked at. They have to live in Boston for 10 years. They do make the choice to be cops but it’s gotten much more experience to live in the city in a very short time. I don’t think stealing is the answer but in the grand scheme of it all each person only had a few thousand a year added on to paychecks.

There’s so much animosity from the people and their precious tax dollar about what cops are paid.

There's a ton of media attention and animosity anytime a public employee gets caught stealing money, fudging overtime, etc. The MBTA has been in the news every year for the absurd amount of legitimate overtime they pay - not even theft. DCR was all over the news a few years back because the Commissioner and a Deputy Commissioenr used public resources for a private party (they were fired). MassDOT was under fire within the last year because one senior exec was going to bars on company time for hours on end (stealing time which is also theft). Jane Swift infamously used a state helicopter for personal purposes - something people in MA still talk about. So knock it off with this "poor cops" shtick. Yes, police have taken it on the chin recently and unfairly so in some instances. But these 9 guys are thieves, and they do not deserve pity, defense, or even your apathy. Just like any other public employee caught stealing money. Whether you care is irrelevant. As others have said, you (thankfully) don't speak for all taxpayers and there are laws that make pretty clear what's right and wrong with wages.