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Main Page I-Team: Trooper Fishing On Taxpayers' Dime
(Click here to view the original thread on the MassCops Message Board)

Posted by: kwflatbed

The Lying masscopguy said there would be no more I-Team reports

-Team: Trooper Fishing On Taxpayers' Dime

Reporting
Kathy Curran

BOSTON (WBZ) ― A State trooper who claims he is too sick to work is calling in sick to fish and run his side business -- all on taxpayers' dime.

I-team reporter Kathy Curran uncovered how the man of the law is abusing the system.

On the water, Terry Nugent is the captain of his fishing business, Riptide Charters.

On land, he wears the uniform of a trooper for Massachusetts State police, but the I-team discovered on some days when he's supposed to be protecting and serving, he's calling in sick to fish.

"The worse thing of all is when the people cheating are the people who are supposed to protect us from scam artists," said Barbara Anderson with Citizens for Limited Taxations.

Curran logged onto the fishing chatroom "Surftalk" where Trooper Nugent goes by the username Riptide and has written almost 400 posts about his fishing adventures on the waters off the Cape.

On this day, he says "take a day off -- call in sick" because the fishing season is too short. When the I-Team compared days here to his recent payroll records, it found the trooper was taking his own advice.

The I-Team discovered that on May 18, May 25 and June 15 he was out sick and had gone out fishing.

According to his post, on one of those days Trooper Nugent was well enough to run a charter that turned out to be "a killer 1/2 day bass trip."

The day before he was out landing this mahi and hauling in some tuna.

Too sick to show up to work at the Bourne barracks but not to fish.

According to an online post from August 26, 2007, "rippy got a new ride" as in a new boat. The boat was supposed to be delivered the following Wednesday or Thursday. That Wednesday Trooper Nugent called in sick.

"Do you think this is sick time abuse?" Curran asked Jack Greene with Northeastern University.

"I don't think there's any question about it," Greene said.

That's Greene's opinion after looking at Nugent's posts and pay records.
"It creates shortages and overtime," he explained.

Greene is a professor of criminal justice at Northeastern.

"It's supervision, supervision, supervision. The reality is the supervisor should know where his or her direct reports are, and if they're not there, why they're not there," Greene said.

Nugent has taken 30 sick days in the past year and a half. This fishing season eight out of the 11 days he called in sick he was fishing. When the I-Team showed up at Trooper Nugent's house to ask him some questions the "Riptide" was on dry land. After we knocked on the door the shades were pulled.

There is case after case from the beginning of July where Nugent "made the call" for a 14-hour fishing day and made sick calls two days in a row to the middle of the month when "Riptide" was hunting tuna and bailed on work once again.

Barbara Anderson says the citizens of the state who pay Nugent's salary deserve more.

"It's always a problem when someone's cheating," Anderson said. "It's worse when they're cheating on the public dollar."

The I-Team's investigation sparked an internal investigation by State police. In a statement they said they cannot and will not tolerate abuse of any rules or regulations and the department will take appropriate disciplinary action if necessary.

Trooper Nugent is supposed to ask for permission to have a second job. When we asked about that the department had no comment.

State police policy says excessive use, using sick time when the trooper is not sick or a pattern of taking sick days around weekends and holidays are signs of sick leave abuse.

http://wbztv.com/iteam/state.trooper....2.823298.html

Posted by: Wolfman

How do they know it wasn't family sick time? Or some sort of injury that would make him ineffective as a police officer but still able to pilot a boat or cast a line? Just because you're not fit for duty doesn't mean you have to stay locked in a room with a thermometer under your tongue.

What a bunch of sensationalist douchebags. I hope they get the living shit sued out of them.

Quote:

"Do you think this is sick time abuse?" Curran asked Jack Greene with Northeastern University.

"I don't think there's any question about it," Greene said.

Hey Jack, stick to slinging books and leave the police work to the pros, allright? Assmonkey.

Posted by: Kilvinsky

Regardless of how much time he took or if it was right or not, Ch. 4 and WBZ (both outlets I have respect for...AS A RULE) are beating this to death as if the Trooper were out working as a pimp on his sick time. Wrong, sure, partly because he was dumb enough to do it so damned often it brought attention, but sheesh, he was working a fishing boat, not selling drugs or boosting stolen goods. COME ON!

I swear they made less out of the attempt on the life of Ronnie Reagan than this foolishness. FIND SOME REAL NEWS YOU CLOWNS!

Posted by: firefighter39

All of us in the public sector need to be more aware of what we do, with the economy taking a downward turn the media is looking for a scape goat, and public sector employees are the biggest target out there.

The pols are looking to balance the budget on our backs. You and I know that a few sickdays don't make a big difference in the overall budget, but it makes for sensational media coverage

Posted by: Johnny Law

I am reminded of the saying "Sick time use does not equal sick time abuse" however that being said, show some discretion. Someone dimed this guy out, probably rubbing it in the wrong person's face.

Posted by: Kem25

Since I have no doubt that multiple media sources are looking for ANY story that has to do with police officers my opinion is this: There are over 2000 troopers in Mass. and I don't know how many muni. officers. The best they could come up with was one trooper who used eight days of sick time to go fishing....Come on get real thats not even news! There has to be a better story then this...Oh yeah thats right any story is blown up if it involves a police officer.

Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kem25

I don't know how many muni. officers.

About 12,000 or so; figure another 1,000+/- for campus, environmental, etc.

Posted by: C.O. I

This burns my ass. Who gives a rats ass what the Trooper does with HIS sick time. He's earned it and not to mention it was negotiated by his union with the great state. Law enforcement jobs are very stressful so if he wants to burn HIS sick time by fishing then so be it. nothing but haters out there.

Posted by: mikemac64

A few nice quotes from Barbara Anderson. Real good digs at the government waste which is so purvasive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwaflatbed

"The worse thing of all is when the people cheating are the people who are supposed to protect us from scam artists," said Barbara Anderson with Citizens for Limited Taxations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwflatbed

Barbara Anderson says the citizens of the state who pay Nugent's salary deserve more.

Maybe she forgot this pension deal and her deep support of it.

Published: August 02, 2007 09:39 am ShareThis PrintThis
0
Sweet deals for some: Back door bargains add to state pension's debt
Edward Mason , Staff Writer
Gloucester Daily Times

David San Antonio died in 2004 of a rare genetic disorder that left him blind and wracked with tumors.

Those who knew him say that before he died, the 38-year-old Methuen police officer accidentally checked the wrong box when filing for his city pension, leaving his widow and two children without benefits.

J. Michael Ruane was a Democratic state representative from Salem for 30 years, much of it on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He never contributed to the state pension fund or filled out retirement paperwork. But as he neared death, Ruane asked friends in the Legislature for a pension that would benefit his widow.

Both cases went before the Legislature last year. The Beacon Hill insider got a break but not the local cop.

In the closing days of their session last July, lawmakers rushed through special legislation giving a pension worth $33,000 a year to Ruane's widow, over Gov. Mitt Romney's veto. For the second consecutive legislative session, it let the San Antonio bill die.

"They took care of Ruane but didn't take care of this young person," said Kenneth Henrick, a former Methuen city councilor who fought for the San Antonio family.

The contrast, critics say, is emblematic of the Massachusetts public pension system open to abuse by lawmakers who exploit loopholes to benefit well-connected friends and special interest groups and often themselves.

For the record, Anderson supported the State Rep. I don't imagine she cared much about the cop at all.

And maybe she forgot that she went on Egan and Braude to justify her support of this scam. She said something like "he was such a supporter of cutting taxes" Blah, blah, blah, blah. I almost drove off of the road.

I guess when your buddies who never contributed to te retirement system want something, they get it. Sort of a moral dilemma I guess.

Oh, wait, they cut the cop off.....anyone noticing a trend?

Me thinks Ms. Anderson has a credibility problem.

Oh, wait, here's a couple of other fat cats....

In the most notorious case, William Bulger, the former president of the state Senate and the University of Massachusetts, went to court to argue his housing allowance and annuity should count as pay not perks. The state Supreme Judicial Court agreed, sweetening Bulger's pension by $17,000, to $196,000 a year.

State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, who oversees the state pension fund, warned that a ruling for Bulger could touch off a "gold rush." Indeed, after the decision last November, former state employees and politicians lined up for pension adjustments.

Marie Parente, who was "retired" by voters last fall as a Milford state representative, argued her Statehouse parking space, and office and travel expenses, should count toward her pension, adding $4,000 to $5,000 a year to the $50,000 she now collects. She said she felt like a "piker" for having worked so long for so little "when that Japanese pitcher gets $50 million." She was referring to Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Red Sox. Parente was turned down but has filed an appeal.

Posted by: Killjoy

A Trooper bangs out sick to go fishing? This is the story of the century? Good job there; Edward R. Murrow would be proud, you f*cking hacks.

Posted by: Delta784

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killjoy

A Trooper bangs out sick to go fishing? This is the story of the century? Good job there; Edward R. Murrow would be proud, you f*cking hacks.

It's called "piling on"; the wastes in the media think they smell blood in the water over the detail brouhaha. Next will be a hidden camera that "catches" a cop not checking the lights & siren on the cruiser before leaving the station parking lot.

That begs the question; what is the media and the public looking to accomplish? To further infuriate every man & woman who wears a badge in Massachusetts?

As I've said more than once here; be very careful what you wish for, because you may well get it.

Posted by: USMCTrooper

Do you think he used his gas card to fill up the boat?

Posted by: TopCop24

:l:

Posted by: MM1799

You know, I see these newspaper delivery trucks absolutely flying around towns and bombing down the highway. Shit, I'm having trouble typing this my hand is getting so excited.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
35 means 35.
55 means 55.
Watch those speedometer while you're delivering papers.
This isn't a threat; just a concerned citizen trying to keep you guys alive.

Posted by: kwflatbed

Howie Carr gets into the act

Statie cruising on your dime, but not in a cruiser

By Howie Carr
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Photo by screenshot
Screen shot from Capt. Terry’s Riptide Charters website. (Riptide Charters screenshot)

Happy Birthday, Mass. State Trooper Terry Nugent!
The pride of Troop D turns 37 today, and for his present he gets to be this week’s poster boy for the Vote Yes on Question 1 campaign to abolish the state income tax.
According to the I-Team on Channel 4, Nugent has been running a charter-fishing business, while working out of the Bourne barracks. Base pay in 2007: $70,794.60.
With overtime etc.: $84,591.
Only problem is, the trooper can’t stop posting about his adventures - on the open sea, not Route 6. And according to Ch. 4, it appears that on some of the days he was “gone fishing,” he was also calling in sick.
Here is his defense, as posted on stripersonline.com yesterday morning:
“First I’d like to say that all of this has stemmed from an ANONYMOUS complaint letter . . . The complainant chose to hide their identity.”
Yep, that’s what “ANONYMOUS” usually means. But why would anyone want his name attached to a dime-drop on a guy with a badge and a gun?
“They found a couple of instances where I had taken sick leave or family sick leave and I had fishing reports posted for the following day.”
And those suspicious bleepity-bleeps immediately jumped to their own damn conclusions. Did I mention Riptide Charter’s rates? A half-day inshore for bass and bluefish is $600, a full day $900. Canyon trips, which run 14 to 18 hours, will run you $1,950. He’s also available for “Speaking Engagements.”
How much would it cost to book Trooper Nugent for “How Great Is It To Have a State Job!”
“At this point IA (Internal Affairs) has not found grounds to charge me with any wrongdoing.”
What a surprise. As Juvenal once said, “Who will guard the guards themselves?”
In the old days, it would have taken a lot of time to bag someone like Trooper Nugent. You’d need a Deep Throat down on the docks. Then you’d have to stake out his berth with a camera crew, and bag him coming off the boat, all the while hoping like hell that he’d phoned in sick, instead of taking a vacation day off.
Now, though, with the Internet, the guy hangs himself. On Aug. 25, 2007, he happily posted a note about his new boat under “Rippy Got a New Ride.” It’s a real beauty - “the new Contender 33T!!!”
Delivery was scheduled for the next Wednesday or Thursday. Ch. 4 reports that he banged in sick the following Wednesday.
According to his payroll records, Nugent called in sick May 18, May 25 and June 15, and then went fishing, according to his postings, which he assured us yesterday are always factual because “I have always believed that being honest with my reports was a major factor in building a successful business.”
Yes, Trooper, we can all agree, honesty is the best policy. Like on June 15, when you called in sick, and advised your angler pals, “Take a day off-call in sick.”
The problem is, if you have a job in the Dreaded Private Sector, you can get fired for doing that. Probably won’t, in most cases, but you are at risk. Most people in the DPS don’t have a powerful union covering their backs at every turn.
“It would seem that my honesty in posting details of my daily agenda may in turn be the lynchpin (sic) in this situation.”
No, Trooper, no one is questioning whether you were honest with your buddies, and potential customers, at stripersonline.com. The question is, were you honest with the MSP brass, and the taxpayers who paid for your, ahem, sick days, and for the OT to whoever had to replace you on the Cape.
Every week, there’s at least one or two more excellent examples of why you need to vote yes on Question 1, to abolish the 5.3 percent Mass. state income tax. Last week it was the no-shows at the T, one of whom is the brother of a former judge and state rep. Before that, it was the sticky-fingered Mass Pike toll takers, and the T thief at Kenmore Station, and the Boston firefighter who claimed he was unable to work because of an injury yet could still take part in body-building contests.
This is how they’re squandering your money in the hackerama. They’re not spending it “for the children,” they’re spending it on themselves. And guess what - chances are, they’re make a lot more money than you do for a lot less work, and behind the “job” comes the 80 percent pension, not to mention the health care.
Happy Birthday, Trooper Nugent. Is that a day off too under your contract?

(84) Comments | Post / Read Comments

http://bostonherald.com/news/opinion...ome&position=0

Posted by: Kem25

I was thinking that Deval and posse probably spent more on room-service on their trip to China than it cost for one trooper to take eight sick days. I do not know about other officers but I have already started with a new public relations campaign. I switched from 80/20 warnings to money to 90/10 envelopes to smiles!

Posted by: firefighter39

This is just the tip of the iceberg. If details are elimnated or even cut back there will be a lot more Trooopers and local officers working a second job. That job will then take the priority over the "full-time" job, just like with the FD now

Posted by: MDSP2597

What most people do not understand with Police work is that if you are not 100% mentally focused when you walk out the front door, you just may never walk back through it ever again.
Is sick leave only to be used when someone has a fever, head cold, sore throat, etc? Most would say those are valid reasons for sick leave. I believe mental state belongs in with those other symptoms I listed. Not only can you get hurt, but fellow Officers can too because the lack of focus.

Just my two cents.

Posted by: OCKS

guys at any rate it's not a good idea to call in sick and blog about what a great day fishing you had. We all know what happened to one of our members when the ledger grabbed words off this site and printed them. What I question also with the troopers case is who droped the dime on him.

Posted by: Johnny Law

Quote:

Originally Posted by OCKS

What I question also with the troopers case is who droped the dime on him.

Some rat bastard, it always is. No matter where you work there is at least one. You know the kind, always kissing the LT's or SGT's ass.

Posted by: Tuna

Awhile back a northshore officer was heading out of Logan for a ski trip and was interviewed, on camera, by one of the local news stations. I guess it hit the 11oclock and it was seen. That guy, I understand, was on a sick day and took a hit for his 30sec. of fame. Lesson learned CYA

Posted by: bbelichick

Quote:

Originally Posted by OCKS

guys at any rate it's not a good idea to call in sick and blog about what a great day fishing you had. We all know what happened to one of our members when the ledger grabbed words off this site and printed them. What I question also with the troopers case is who droped the dime on him.

It is alleged that there are several retired/current Troopers in that area with less successful charter businesses.

Draw your own conclusions.

FYI, the Trooper doesn't even work days, so he was calling in sick on a night shift the day before his trips...

Posted by: Wolfman

Can't wait for their next earth shattering investigations:

"Trooper Seen Not Washing Hands After Taking Leak"

"Trooper Dines With Elbows on the Table"

"While Chasing Suspect, Officer Rudely Cuts in Front of Woman and Does Not Say 'Excuse Me, Ma'am.'"

Posted by: 5-0

Quote:

Yes, Trooper, we can all agree, honesty is the best policy. Like on June 15, when you called in sick, and advised your angler pals, “Take a day off-call in sick.”

Because no one in the public or private sector has ever taken a sick day to do something fun? Holy shit...

Coming Soon!! Deval Patrick unveils a new way to cut government spending! All sick days will be replaced by HEALTH DAYS!! (disclaimer: Health Days will be unpaid, and only apply to people in high stress positions that work long crappy hours for not a whole lot of money when you really think about it).

edit: Flagmen suck. I just wanted to state that for the record.

Posted by: ProtoCop1*

Look where she pops up...

"Police details are the poster child for public outrage and correctly so," said Barbara Anderson, executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation and a longtime critic of details. "People are losing respect every time they pass a police officer doing a detail."

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pb...NEWS/807200328

Posted by: Kilvinsky

I kinda lose respect for her every time she opens her mouth.

Posted by: mpd61

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thimios315

Look where she pops up...

"Police details are the poster child for public outrage and correctly so," said Barbara Anderson,

GOODBYE, MS. ANDERSON!!!

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