Several current and former Massachusetts State Police troopers are now facing charges in an investigation into an alleged bribery conspiracy scheme regarding commercial driver’s licenses, or CDLs. It’s the latest embarrassment for an agency that has seen a series of negative headlines in recent years.
Here's a look back at some of those cases.
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“Troopergate” scandal
The series of scandals started in 2017, when two troopers say they were pressured to remove embarrassing details about the arrest of a judge’s daughter. The scandal known as “Troopergate” lead to the abrupt retirement of the agency’s colonel and a lengthy ethics investigation.
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But that was just the beginning. Since then, a long list of officers have appeared in courtrooms as defendants accused of betraying the public trust.
Overtime fraud
The widest-reaching scandal was an overtime fraud scheme that implicated nearly 50 state troopers.
The details involved officers submitting for overtime pay they never worked along the Mass Pike.
Troop E was disbanded after the scheme came to light in 2018.
The scandal cost a number of troopers their jobs, led to a wave of retirements, and resulted in convictions inside federal and state courtrooms and restitution to taxpayers.
Embezzlement and kickbacks
The former president of the State Police union was sentenced to prison last May for accepting kickbacks and spending union money on his personal expenses.
Dana Pullman was a trooper for more than 30 years until his resignation in 2018.
Instead of representing the interests of 1,500 members, prosecutors say Pullman embezzled union funds to pay for expensive meals and take trips to Florida with his girlfriend.
Bear crawl backlash
And in 2022 the NBC10 Investigators were the first to tell you about injuries suffered by recruits when they performed bear crawls on hot pavement at the Massachusetts State Police Academy.
The unauthorized exercises resulted in at least 20 trainees being treated by medical staff and caused a leadership shakeup at the academy.
The scandals are causing a trickle-down effect on the Commonwealth’s largest law enforcement agency.
Dropout drama
Last November the NBC10 investigators reported that recruits are dropping out of the academy at a record rate when the State Police are already having a tough time attracting officers and addressing ongoing staffing challenges.
Reform efforts
The high-profile cases have led to reform measures.
Today, State Police said body cameras are now required for all commercial driver’s license exams. After the overtime scheme, the agency added location-tracking to department cruisers and shifted to electronic tickets instead of paper citations that could be offered.
In a statement, a department spokesperson said the misconduct is a stark contrast to the values, character and integrity exhibited by the overwhelming majority of troopers every day.
