Lowell trying to dump dedicated cop
By Peter Gelzinis
Friday, August 15, 2008 - Added 22h ago
+ Recent Articles Boston Herald Columnist
We’ve all heard the tawdry tale of Albert Arroyo, the muscle-bound Boston firefighter with the greased physique and the skimpy Speedo. Though he looks like he can bench-press a small automobile, Albert insists he’s unable to carry his inspector’s clipboard.
While Arroyo looks to weasel a full disability kiss from Boston’s taxpayers, up in Lowell a veteran cop is actually fighting to go back to work and get off the tax-free disability rolls he’s been on for the past two years.
Call Robert “Bob” Dyer the anti-Arroyo.
This is a public servant who has enlisted his union lawyer in a tong war against the city of Lowell’s efforts to end his police career with an involuntary retirement. In addition to working as a street cop for 15 years, Dyer is also one of maybe 100 internationally certified police instructors.
That’s important because the traumatic brain injury he suffered 2 years ago occurred during a training session with recruits at Lowell’s police academy.
“My specialty was defense tactics, and the means of instruction is what’s known as force-on-force drills,” Dyer explained. His lawyer, Michael Brennan, described it in civilian terms: “Basically, he would get into a padded suit and urge the recruits to try and beat the crap out of him, sometimes as much as 30 times a day.”
Even though the aptly named “fist suit” comes with a foam helmet, Bob Dyer took three knee strokes to the head by an overzealous recruit in the role of an assailant. Neurologists would tell him that the crippling headaches and loss of memory were the result of a shearing of his frontal lobe.
“The doctors told me that this type of closed head wound usually takes about a year to heal,” Dyer said.
Six months into his convalescence, Bob Dyer walked into his local drug store to have his medication refilled. The pharmacist smiled, shook his head and told him the city refused to pay. It seems Lowell’s solicitor and claims agent had their noses out of joint by an article that turned up in the Lowell Sun. Bob Dyer, who was going “stir crazy” at home, went to the police academy to visit some friends. His picture turned up on the front page.
The solicitor, Christine O’Connor, asked Dyer to write a report. He refused, saying only his police superiors could make such a request. And his bosses agreed. Lowell caved and went on to pay for his medication, but today Dyer is convinced that was the breaking point.
Yesterday, one of those police bosses, who asked that his name not be used, said it was easy to stand with Bob Dyer, “because he’s one helluva a cop. A great worker and an even better teacher.”
You should know that Bob Dyer had hoped to be back at work six months ago. He’s already agreed that he can no longer don a fist suit and run the risk of getting kicked in the head again. You should also know that five out of six neurologists, most of them working for the city, have agreed that there’s no reason why Bob Dyer can’t go back to work and resume his normal police duties.
Before Lowell’s retirement board, Bob Dyer’s counsel, Mike Brennan, said he never in his wildest dreams imagined he would be arguing to have his client go back to work. Not at a time when people are falling down stairs to fake their way into retirement.
The Lowell Retirement Board agreed with Brennan and denied the city of Lowell’s request to banish Bob Dyer with an involuntary retirement. Here’s the punchline: Lowell has appealed its own retirement board’s decision to the state.
And a devoted, seasoned cop sits at home, doing what Albert Arroyo would love to do - collect 100 percent of his base pay tax-free. The difference is, this Lowell cop hates every minute of it.
By Peter Gelzinis
Friday, August 15, 2008 - Added 22h ago
+ Recent Articles Boston Herald Columnist
We’ve all heard the tawdry tale of Albert Arroyo, the muscle-bound Boston firefighter with the greased physique and the skimpy Speedo. Though he looks like he can bench-press a small automobile, Albert insists he’s unable to carry his inspector’s clipboard.
While Arroyo looks to weasel a full disability kiss from Boston’s taxpayers, up in Lowell a veteran cop is actually fighting to go back to work and get off the tax-free disability rolls he’s been on for the past two years.
Call Robert “Bob” Dyer the anti-Arroyo.
This is a public servant who has enlisted his union lawyer in a tong war against the city of Lowell’s efforts to end his police career with an involuntary retirement. In addition to working as a street cop for 15 years, Dyer is also one of maybe 100 internationally certified police instructors.
That’s important because the traumatic brain injury he suffered 2 years ago occurred during a training session with recruits at Lowell’s police academy.
“My specialty was defense tactics, and the means of instruction is what’s known as force-on-force drills,” Dyer explained. His lawyer, Michael Brennan, described it in civilian terms: “Basically, he would get into a padded suit and urge the recruits to try and beat the crap out of him, sometimes as much as 30 times a day.”
Even though the aptly named “fist suit” comes with a foam helmet, Bob Dyer took three knee strokes to the head by an overzealous recruit in the role of an assailant. Neurologists would tell him that the crippling headaches and loss of memory were the result of a shearing of his frontal lobe.
“The doctors told me that this type of closed head wound usually takes about a year to heal,” Dyer said.
Six months into his convalescence, Bob Dyer walked into his local drug store to have his medication refilled. The pharmacist smiled, shook his head and told him the city refused to pay. It seems Lowell’s solicitor and claims agent had their noses out of joint by an article that turned up in the Lowell Sun. Bob Dyer, who was going “stir crazy” at home, went to the police academy to visit some friends. His picture turned up on the front page.
The solicitor, Christine O’Connor, asked Dyer to write a report. He refused, saying only his police superiors could make such a request. And his bosses agreed. Lowell caved and went on to pay for his medication, but today Dyer is convinced that was the breaking point.
Yesterday, one of those police bosses, who asked that his name not be used, said it was easy to stand with Bob Dyer, “because he’s one helluva a cop. A great worker and an even better teacher.”
You should know that Bob Dyer had hoped to be back at work six months ago. He’s already agreed that he can no longer don a fist suit and run the risk of getting kicked in the head again. You should also know that five out of six neurologists, most of them working for the city, have agreed that there’s no reason why Bob Dyer can’t go back to work and resume his normal police duties.
Before Lowell’s retirement board, Bob Dyer’s counsel, Mike Brennan, said he never in his wildest dreams imagined he would be arguing to have his client go back to work. Not at a time when people are falling down stairs to fake their way into retirement.
The Lowell Retirement Board agreed with Brennan and denied the city of Lowell’s request to banish Bob Dyer with an involuntary retirement. Here’s the punchline: Lowell has appealed its own retirement board’s decision to the state.
And a devoted, seasoned cop sits at home, doing what Albert Arroyo would love to do - collect 100 percent of his base pay tax-free. The difference is, this Lowell cop hates every minute of it.
