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Main Page Methuen's police chief sues city over cut in pay
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: kwflatbed

Police Chief Joseph E. Solomon has been criticized on spending.

By Christine McConville, Globe Staff | September 22, 2007

Methuen's police chief, who has been criticized over the way his department has spent federal money, is suing the city over a recent decision by the City Council to slash his annual pay.
Police Chief Joseph E. Solomon and members of the City Council have been engaged in a long-running and politically charged feud.
That battle heated up this week, when Solomon requested a preliminary injunction against the city to stop the pay cut. A hearing has been scheduled on Tuesday at Essex Superior Court in Lawrence, and Methuen Solicitor Peter J. McQuillan, Auditor Thomas Kelly, and City Council chairman Steven Zanni have been ordered by the court to attend.
In his complaint, Solomon states that he never had the opportunity to defend himself after the council approved the pay cut.
The seeds of this dispute were planted about a year ago, when federal agents came to City Hall, demanding to know how the Police Department had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants. Later, the US Department of Justice determined that the Police Department, under Solomon's leadership, had misspent funds earmarked for community policing and told the city to pay that money back.
Since then, Solomon has been suspended by the mayor and has been chastised by the City Council. Morale has plummeted in the department. In an increasingly political climate, long-held alliances between the city's top police officials and power brokers have been redefined and, in some cases, destroyed.
On June 30, Solomon's three-year contract expired.
In a complaint filed last week at Essex Superior Court in Lawrence, Solomon's lawyer, Robert H. Minasian, said that when Solomon signed the contract with Sharon M. Pollard, who was mayor at the time, he was told that "all the terms and conditions of the contract" would remain in effect until a new contract was negotiated.
But that did not happen.
In August, McQuillan informed the council that without a contract, Solomon's pay should be set at $100,824 for 2008, twice the pay of the highest-paid patrolman. McQuillan also reported that the chief should not receive certain employment benefits that gave a big boost to his paycheck, such as longevity pay, vacation pay, and career incentives.
A few weeks ago, the City Council told the city auditor to make Solomon's pay reflect those decisions. City payroll records show that the chief earned, with salary and benefits, $176,251 in 2005 and $154,866 in 2006.
The City Council also told the auditor to cut Deputy Chief Joseph Alaimo's pay as well, because his contract had also expired. Alaimo is not listed in the lawsuit Solomon has filed against the city.
Methuen Mayor William Manzi could not be reached for comment, and several city councilors declined to comment.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/art...er_cut_in_pay/

Posted by: HousingCop

You'd figure with that fat paycheck he's pulling down, he'd get that shnoz of his trimmed down a bit. You could park 2 Ferrari's in there for Chrissakes.

Posted by: underdod47

He should get paid what he negotiated whether it's $1 or a million but the contract expired with no "evergreen" clause (the clause in all civil service contracts that continue pay while a new contract is negotiated) The former Mayor never inserted it. Just renegotiate the contract now and be done with it. Why wait until after the elections? Afraid the Mayor will lose. By the way I learned long ago not to comment on what someone looks like. being as hansome (yeah right ) as I am, at least in my mirror and without my glasses

Posted by: MA Danvers-

Mayor puts Methuen police chief on paid leave indefinitely

METHUEN — Methuen police Chief Joseph Solomon was put on paid leave indefinitely at 12:05 p.m. today.

Mayor William Manzi said the move was not disciplinary in nature, according a press statement. The leave is to continue while the city investigates Solomon's conduct as well as the conduct of officers serving under him.

Capt. Kathy Lavigne will take over as chief on a temporary basis, said Matt Kraunelis, Manzi's chief of staff.

"It's business as usual," Lavigne said. "We're trying to keep Methuen safe and keep policing going."

The action comes four days after Manzi described the situation at the police department as "untenable and dysfunctional" and told The Eagle-Tribune that he would take action against the chief. When asked about Manzi's statements yesterday, Solomon said he had no comment.

Solomon's removal comes a year after federal authorities launched an investigation into grant misspending in the police department. The city already repaid $23,000 in grant money and may be on the hook for another $170,000. The city is appealing the U.S. Department of Justice demand for repayment.

The City Council took a 5 to 3 vote of "no confidence" in the chief in the spring. And last week, Solomon filed a lawsuit against city officials, claiming they had no legal basis to reduce his $158,295 salary by $25,610 when his contract expired in June.

A hearing on Solomon's pay was held on Wednesday. Superior Court Judge Thomas Murtagh could rule as early as today whether the city should keep paying Solomon his previous salary while a formal hearing is pending.

Posted by: underdod47

Ahhh the new new third rail of Masscops. Methuen PD. Huge story like this and zero replies wow

Posted by: AdamJ1984

I am a resident of Methuen and with all of these shenanigans going on, I hope they will hire off of this latest CS exam. Maybe the Chief and some of his men/women under suspicion will be gone.

Posted by: kwflatbed

Pols allege conflict of interest, mismanagement, OT abuse

Photo by Patrick Whittemore
Methuen Mayor William Manzi, at left, and other officials have accused police Chief Joseph Solomon of a handful of charges.

Methuen has fired a volley of charges at its own police chief in a legal battle sparked by allegations of irregularities in overtime payments to top cops.
Methuen police Chief Joseph E. Solomon is facing nine charges including conflict of interest, compromising investigations involving his family members, incompetence and mismanagement, city officials said.
He has appeared at a closed, multiday Civil Commission hearing called by Methuen Mayor William Manzi to determine whether Solomon should face disciplinary action or possibly lose his job. He has been on paid administrative leave since September.
The Herald’s repeated efforts to reach Solomon and his lawyers for comment were unsuccessful.
“The purpose of the hearing is to air all this out,” Manzi said. “I would classify it as serious.”
The charges were made public in an 11-page document Tuesday after Solomon’s lawyers agreed to their release in exchange for keeping the City Hall hearings private.
They include charges that Soloman violated conflict of interest laws by participating in a probe of his former brother-in-law, and that he allowed his secretary to “triple-dip” overtime funds for “non-performed” duties. He is also charged with authorizing payments to a business in which his immediate family has direct and indirect financial interests.
“You have utterly failed in general to provide the leadership necessary for promoting and maintaining the morale of an effective law enforcement entity,” the city complaint states.
The allegations arose after the U.S. Department of Justice told the city to repay more than $170,000 in federal grant funds allegedly paid to top cops, including Solomon, citing undocumented overtime. The Weed and Seed grant was designed to be spent on paying officers to target and take out the community’s most prolific crooks.
The city claims Solomon received $10,403 for undocumented overtime. The Justice Department also is probing $12,604 in overtime paid to Deputy Chief Joseph Alaimo; $44,254 to Capt. Kristopher McCarthy; $25,480 to Lt. Kevin Mahoney; $32,021 to Sgt. Michael Havey; and $45,934 to Solomon’s former secretary, Patricia Giarrusso. Efforts to reach those individuals for comment were unsuccessful.

http://bostonherald.com/news/regiona...icleid=1074983

Posted by: ann

Is there any good cops in Methuen ?? We have the rapist who's appeals were all paid for by the police union he was fired from. What that one of ex-chief Solomon's decisions also. I happen to have a depo from Solomon in regards to the 2000 Blache rape case he made back in 2004 where he states under oath that the Methuen police dept. follows policies and procedures. Seems to me for at least the last decade at least since the 1997 accusation of rape against Blache to the present day accusions against the dept Methuen is nothing more than a corrupt brotherhood that takes anything but the duty to serve and protect seriously.

Posted by: OutOfManyOne

Troll

Posted by: anesthes

Quote:

Originally Posted by ann

Is there any good cops in Methuen ?? We have the rapist who's appeals were all paid for by the police union he was fired from. What that one of ex-chief Solomon's decisions also. I happen to have a depo from Solomon in regards to the 2000 Blache rape case he made back in 2004 where he states under oath that the Methuen police dept. follows policies and procedures. Seems to me for at least the last decade at least since the 1997 accusation of rape against Blache to the present day accusions against the dept Methuen is nothing more than a corrupt brotherhood that takes anything but the duty to serve and protect seriously.

Blache's conviction was overturned.

I think most of the Methuen guys are pretty good guys. I grew up with a lot of them. Personally, I think the Chief is getting screwed by a mayor with a rogue city coucil behind him.

Posted by: ann

Overturned due to miswording by the judge not due to any of the evidence. That same evidence that convicted him before will all be presented to a new jury. Lets not forget there were other allegations against Blache - he is certainly not one of the good guys. Overturned certainly does not mean not guilty. Common sense would indicate if he was accused more than once he was doing something wrong. There is oblivious corruption in that dept if its employees kept ending up suspended. Everyone is entitled to an opinion I have documents to base mine on.

Posted by: Truck Trooper

Methuen Officer in trouble again
METHUEN - A police officer's well-publicized 2004 brush with the law in New Hampshire is coming back to haunt him as he takes the stand to testify in cases on trial.
Officer Joseph Aiello, 38, now a detective on the department's drug unit, was on a leave of absence from the Methuen Police Department and was the part-owner of a motorcycle dealership in Plaistow, N.H., when the incident occurred.
He was arrested June 25, 2004, by NH State Police and charged with forgery - a felony - by New Hampshire authorities for what they said "involved the improper sale of a motor vehicle." Aiello had signed the name of a motorcycle owner to a title transfer document. The motorcycle had been left on consignment with Aiello's dealership.
Aiello pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge of tampering with public records at the request of the Rockingham County Attorney in Plaistow District Court on Feb. 10, 2005.
Now, defense lawyers in all cases in which Aiello is the main witness are provided a sworn statement executed by First Assistant District Attorney John Dawley, acknowledging Aiello's criminal record and the disposition of the case, said Steve O'Connell, spokesman for the district attorney's office.
"A defense lawyer filed a motion asking us to disclose Mr. Aiello's record, and the judge allowed the motion. We were unaware of it until then," O'Connell said. "That is how it came to our attention."
O'Connell said Aiello's record could be considered "exculpatory evidence" for the defendant in a case. Such evidence could work to the benefit of the defendant because Aiello's credibility as a witness could be challenged by a defense lawyer, using the conviction as evidence.

There not all bad

Posted by: kwflatbed

If this thread is heading in the same direction as Methuen Police Trouble (Merged Threads) it will be locked just a warning.

Posted by: 94c

Quote:

Originally Posted by ann

You could use a couple of more periods.

Posted by: anesthes

Quote:

Originally Posted by ann

Overturned due to miswording by the judge not due to any of the evidence. That same evidence that convicted him before will all be presented to a new jury. Lets not forget there were other allegations against Blache - he is certainly not one of the good guys. Overturned certainly does not mean not guilty. Common sense would indicate if he was accused more than once he was doing something wrong. There is oblivious corruption in that dept if its employees kept ending up suspended. Everyone is entitled to an opinion I have documents to base mine on.

Do your documents include:

" The Methuen police dispatched the defendant, Officer David Blache, to respond to the call; he arrived at MacRae's house just before 2 A.M. When the defendant arrived, the complainant woke up; she was "still drunk," and Castro saw her fall "straight back and hit her head ... [o]n the wall." The defendant spent about forty-five minutes at the house gathering information for an accident report and arranging for the complainant's truck to be towed. During this time, according to MacRae, Castro, the defendant, and the tow truck driver, the complainant exhibited sexually aggressive behavior toward the defendant. She touched him, tried to kiss him and "grab[ ] his crotch," asked him if he wanted to have sex with her, licked the windows of his police cruiser, and pulled down her pants to show the defendant her genitals. Witnesses also testified that at this time she was still drunk; she slurred her speech; and she pulled down her pants and began to urinate in the street in front of MacRae's house when he refused to allow her back inside to use his bathroom. While the defendant was speaking with MacRae, he allowed the complainant to sit in the front seat of his cruiser because she was cold; after she twice turned on the cruiser's lights and siren, he transferred her to the back seat."

And

"Although the complainant did not remember making any telephone calls after she returned home, the prosecutor played recordings of two 911 calls she placed to the Haverhill police. Additionally, Castro testified that he answered two calls from the complainant at MacRae's house about one-half hour after the complainant had left with the defendant. In the first call, she said in a "bragging" or "sarcastic" tone, "Tell Dave [MacRae] thanks for the best fuck of my life," and hung up. In the second call, a few minutes later, she said, "Tell Dave I'm going to go for the whole rape thing," and hung up."

Just because she was upset the next day, doesn't mean it was rape.

Did he take advantage of a stupid, drunk, druggy, loser girl? yes. Should he have been fired? yes. Convicted of rape? got to be kidding me.

I don't know if you are a cop (I doubt it), but I just went through in-service again, and with all the sexual assault cases in the past two years, the documentation wanted to be clear about a few things. Rape is intercourse without consent. Intercourse through fraud is NOT rape. The question of her giving consent to intercourse is pretty straight forward. Witnesses observed her seeking sex from the defendant. What we are not sure on is if that consent was revoked at a later time. Based on the circumstantial evidence, I'd say no.

Posted by: kwflatbed

By Kytja Weir

Globe Correspondent / May 8, 2008

METHUEN - The mayor of Methuen fired the city's police chief yesterday, more than seven months after the chief was placed on administrative leave amid an ongoing probe into how the city used federal grants.
It was the third round of disciplinary action against Joseph Solomon in more than a year.
In this latest case, Solomon faced nine allegations, including accusations that he ordered police to travel to his sister's house roughly 280 times for reasons not related to law enforcement and authorized an executive assistant to "triple dip" by receiving two sets of federal overtime funds on top of her salary.
Mayor William M. Manzi said the action would end uncertainty for the Police Department and the city of more than 44,000 along the New Hampshire line. "We can move on as a community," he told the Globe.
Solomon's lawyer, Andrew Gambaccini, greeted the news with some relief. He said Solomon had been expecting such an outcome for months and is now eager to appeal the decision to the state Civil Service Commission, in which Gambaccini says the former chief will receive a fairer hearing.
Solomon has argued that he has been retaliated against for being a whistle-blower in a federal corruption probe targeting the mayor. Manzi has denied the allegations. The FBI has been unwilling to confirm whether Manzi is being investigated.
The roots of the controversy stretch back more than two years to when questions were raised into how the Methuen Police Department handled federal funds.
Federal officials have twice told the city that it misused grant money for overtime payments, and it now says the city needs to pay back about $170,000 of a US Justice Department community policing grant. Neither Manzi nor Solomon - or anyone in the Police Department - has been criminally charged.
But the controversy has led to headaches for the community.
The deputy chief, Joseph Alaimo, unexpectedly retired early; a union leader, Joseph Allaiello, is suing the city; and Methuen has had to pay legal fees and wages to a chief who is sitting at home.
Solomon was suspended for three days without pay in a disciplinary hearing in March 2007, and then was suspended in September with pay. In February, the city began hearings on the allegations, hearings that continued over seven days into April.
Solomon has appealed the first two actions against him and also has a pending suit in Lawrence Superior Court against the city over his wages. It was not immediately clear when the state commission will take up his appeals.
The mayor did not attend the latest hearing against Solomon but decided to fire him based on the recommendation of the attorney who conducted the hearings, Michael J. Marks. Manzi said Katherine Lavigne will continue to serve as interim police chief.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/art...e_leave_fired/

Posted by: Truck Trooper

See Yeah Joseph E. Solomon

Posted by: underdod47

YESSSSSSSS. Justice

Posted by: underdod47

Justice

Posted by: Truck Trooper

See Yeah Joe

Posted by: Crvtte65

I take it not a popular guy...

Posted by: Inspector

METHUEN — The U.S. Department of Justice has an "open" case "pending prosecution" against ex-police Chief Joseph Solomon for misspending $170,000 in grant money on overtime for himself, his secretary and four superior officers, newly-released documents show.
This is the first public confirmation that an ongoing federal investigation into police department grant spending could result in criminal charges against Solomon. The information is contained in an April 4, 2007 report following an investigation by the Fraud Detection office of the U.S. Office of the Inspector General.
The 50-page report says subpoenaed police department payroll records make it "impossible" to tell if Solomon, his secretary and the four officers actually worked the hours they were paid for out of a $1.125 million federal Weed and Seed grant.
"During the review of materials submitted by MPD in connection with an allegation of misconduct by Solomon, OIG (Office of Inspector General) found numerous instances where there were no supporting records documenting the hours allegedly worked by some employees, including Solomon," wrote Special Agent David Glendinning.

Posted by: underdod47

First he's fired now Jail who could have predicted that... oh yeah me. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA God What A DAY My Wife Finally laughed again

Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inspector

METHUEN — The U.S. Department of Justice has an "open" case "pending prosecution" against ex-police Chief Joseph Solomon for misspending $170,000 in grant money on overtime for himself, his secretary and four superior officers, newly-released documents show.

Put a fork in that crew....the Feds don't make a move like that unless it's an airtight case.

Who will be the first one to cut a deal to rat on the others?

Posted by: underdod47

Now the contents of his locker are released, Porn, Guns, bag of dope accident recon reports computer discs. photos and of course a valentine card

Posted by: CJIS

Quote:

Originally Posted by underdod47

Now the contents of his locker are released, Porn, Guns, bag of dope accident recon reports computer discs. photos and of course a valentine card

I take it you had a beef with this guy?

Posted by: Truck Trooper

(I take it you had a beef with this guy?)

“Yeah” I’d say Underdod47 had a beef, Screwed out of his job. Soloman does not work with his men, He worked against them. Taking federal money that was earmarked for Patrolman and padding his pockets. It will be interesting to see what RATS come out and turn information over to save themselves. We haven’t seen the end of this story any time soon. Methuen PD will get over this and the good hard working officers will prevail. A few chosen ones screwed things up.

Posted by: underdod47

Thank you Trucktrooper I can't express how much this site has meant over the past 5 years the support has been well appreciated and I hope that this is soon to be all behind my family very quickly now. Thank you to all on MassCops who have messaged me and have sent support, it may be all over real soon. I still need to get back into the job but I have been somewhat vindicated with this decision (his firing). I feel sorry for what his kids are about to go through, they don't deserve it. Neither did mine. What goes around comes around and it sucks

Posted by: Truck Trooper

Mayor says it's 'very likely' former officer will be rehired

METHUEN — Mayor William Manzi said it's "very likely" the city will rehire former police Officer Shaun Cronin, who said he was wrongfully terminated in 2003 and slandered by police officials who interfered with his job search.
"We are currently looking at that possibility and working out some legal language between counsels that would make that a very distinct possibility," Manzi said in an interview yesterday.
Cronin, 45, filed a lawsuit against the city, former police Chief Joseph Solomon and former Deputy Chief Joseph Alaimo in 2006, saying Solomon and Alaimo lied about him to potential employers. Cronin alleges that he was accused of misconduct and threatened to resign or be fired. He resigned.
The city was later dropped from the lawsuit, but Solomon and Alaimo remain defendants. Manzi said "some documentation" given to him by Cronin's lawyer has "certainly impacted my thinking" about reinstating Cronin.
Manzi confirmed the document is an internal Lawrence police memo filed with the lawsuit in Lawrence Superior Court, but he declined to go into detail about why the document is influencing his decision, other than to say he is trying to avert "some potential legal liability for the city."
The memo, written by Lawrence police Capt. Michael Molchan, says Lawrence police considered hiring Cronin after he left Methuen. Solomon provided Molchan with background information about Cronin, and said Cronin has "too many issues."
"The chief feels that if Shaun was appointed to the department, he would abuse his powers as a Lawrence police officer and be pulling over Methuen officers and ticketing them," Molchan wrote.
Solomon went on to tell Molchan that one time he heard a radio transmission from Cronin saying he was in a fight with a driver he had pulled over. Solomon said he was two cars away and didn't see a fight, and Cronin didn't look like he had just been in a tiff.
"He believed he was just looking for medals and recognition," Molchan wrote.
Lawrence police did not hire Cronin. He ended up being hired at Logan International Airport with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Cronin worked as a Methuen police officer for 17 years. His attorney, Sharon Meyers, confirmed he could get his job back.
"Shaun's looking forward to resuming his position," she said.
Both Manzi and Meyers said they're not sure how soon Cronin could be rehired. Manzi said the city is taking care of "civil service issues" and completing the "prospective legal agreement."
Manzi said the city will not owe Cronin back pay, and officials are trying to work out a situation in which they will not have to get rid of one of the three new police recruits to make room to add Cronin to the force.
Cronin declined to comment, saying his only statement would be through his attorney.
It's about time. Good luck Officer Shaun Cronin

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