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Five new members
By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[email protected]

It is a fallacy one or two people have so much experience in one field that they can't be replaced.
Police Chief Gary J. Gemme
WORCESTER- A sergeant and four police officers will be transferred to the vice squad by Monday, taking the place of five officers who are under investigation for allegedly fraudulently filing for overtime for appearances in criminal court.
Deputy Police Chief Mark S. Roche said the department had been reviewing how the vice squad operates even before five officers were transferred out of that division. One of the issues the department wanted to review is the best way to handle the open-air drug dealing in parts of the city.
After a meeting with Capt. Paul B. Saucier, the vice squad commander, the department is changing how the day shift of the vice squad works.
The five new squad members will join the five division members remaining on days and the group will handle the in-the-open drug dealing and prostitution.
Capt. Saucier said some of the day shift vice squad members were involved in long-term drug investigations and were unable to handle citizen and crime watch complaints about the open-air drug dealing and prostitution problems.
The new strategy will have the day shift handle these complaints.
"Their whole responsibility will be to take care of these complaints of open-air drug markets, which are basically geographic areas where people come to buy drugs and people are there to sell drugs," the captain said.
"That kind of market destroys a neighborhood more than anything else, because it brings in prostitution and it brings in crime - vandalism and graffiti," Capt. Saucier added.
Hot spots showing problem areas will also be identified through crime statistics and the review of complaints.
Although the new vice squad members and the remaining five will work days, their shifts will be flexible. If the drug dealing and prostitution problems occur at night, the group will be moved to different shifts.
If information gathered by officers shows a longer investigation is needed, that will be passed on to the experienced members of the night shift, said the captain, calling those mid- and high-level drug investigations.
The vice squad's night shift has 11 members - nine officers and two supervisors. Those officers can also move to other shifts to conduct their investigations.
The new members of the vice squad will gain drug investigation experience and learn more about the division. Deputy Chief Roche said the five new members were hand-picked and their police reports were reviewed.
The deputy chief and captain found these officers were very good at spotting street-level drug dealing while on patrol and made drug arrests. The transfers will come from four divisions and will not affect those divisions adversely, he said.
Some community leaders in Main South were concerned that drug investigations may have taken a hit when the vice squad members were transferred while they are under investigation. They are Lt. Timothy J. O'Connor; Sgt. Eric A. Boss; and Officers Paul W. Noone; James M. O'Rourke and Darnell McGee.
The two other officers transferred were Sgts. Michael J. Coakley and Faith A. Roche, who worked in the License Division. They, too, are under investigation.
"It is a fallacy one or two people have so much experience in one field that they can't be replaced," Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said yesterday. "This department is as healthy today as it was last week in terms of our ability to deal with crime and disorder in the community."
Deputy Chief Roche added, "We still have well over 100 years of experience with the officers remaining (in the vice squad)."
The chief noted that major investigations in the city involve several divisions and, in some cases, other law enforcement agencies were part of the busts.
The vice squad hit the Main South area hard at the beginning of the month and made more than 80 drug and prostitution arrests. On July 17 and 18, along with Monday and Tuesday of this week, the squad went back into Main South and made 25 arrests for prostitution and three drug arrests Tuesday.
"There are still people being arrested in Main South," Capt. Saucier said. "It didn't stop."
If any crime watch groups or city councilors have concerns about criminal activity in their neighborhoods, they are more than welcome to call the police so a meeting can be set up to deal with the issue, Chief Gemme said.
The seven vice squad officers who were transferred are under investigation after an audit of police overtime by a computer program red-flagged at least a half-dozen cases of abuse of court overtime procedures.
The audit found that schedules had been manipulated, vacation time used indiscriminately and, in some cases, the officers might not have even attended court. The audit was for Jan. 1 to June 30, and the total amount in question in the alleged double-dipping scheme is $80,000 to $100,000.
When asked yesterday why the seven officers were not placed on paid or unpaid administrative leave, Chief Gemme said, "It was an administrative decision to make transfers at this time. As the investigation unfolds, we'll take the appropriate action. At this time I believe the most appropriate action to stop the abuse was to make the transfers."
http://www.telegram.com/article/20080725/NEWS/807250576/1101
By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
[email protected]


Police Chief Gary J. Gemme
WORCESTER- A sergeant and four police officers will be transferred to the vice squad by Monday, taking the place of five officers who are under investigation for allegedly fraudulently filing for overtime for appearances in criminal court.
Deputy Police Chief Mark S. Roche said the department had been reviewing how the vice squad operates even before five officers were transferred out of that division. One of the issues the department wanted to review is the best way to handle the open-air drug dealing in parts of the city.
After a meeting with Capt. Paul B. Saucier, the vice squad commander, the department is changing how the day shift of the vice squad works.
The five new squad members will join the five division members remaining on days and the group will handle the in-the-open drug dealing and prostitution.
Capt. Saucier said some of the day shift vice squad members were involved in long-term drug investigations and were unable to handle citizen and crime watch complaints about the open-air drug dealing and prostitution problems.
The new strategy will have the day shift handle these complaints.
"Their whole responsibility will be to take care of these complaints of open-air drug markets, which are basically geographic areas where people come to buy drugs and people are there to sell drugs," the captain said.
"That kind of market destroys a neighborhood more than anything else, because it brings in prostitution and it brings in crime - vandalism and graffiti," Capt. Saucier added.
Hot spots showing problem areas will also be identified through crime statistics and the review of complaints.
Although the new vice squad members and the remaining five will work days, their shifts will be flexible. If the drug dealing and prostitution problems occur at night, the group will be moved to different shifts.
If information gathered by officers shows a longer investigation is needed, that will be passed on to the experienced members of the night shift, said the captain, calling those mid- and high-level drug investigations.
The vice squad's night shift has 11 members - nine officers and two supervisors. Those officers can also move to other shifts to conduct their investigations.
The new members of the vice squad will gain drug investigation experience and learn more about the division. Deputy Chief Roche said the five new members were hand-picked and their police reports were reviewed.
The deputy chief and captain found these officers were very good at spotting street-level drug dealing while on patrol and made drug arrests. The transfers will come from four divisions and will not affect those divisions adversely, he said.
Some community leaders in Main South were concerned that drug investigations may have taken a hit when the vice squad members were transferred while they are under investigation. They are Lt. Timothy J. O'Connor; Sgt. Eric A. Boss; and Officers Paul W. Noone; James M. O'Rourke and Darnell McGee.
The two other officers transferred were Sgts. Michael J. Coakley and Faith A. Roche, who worked in the License Division. They, too, are under investigation.
"It is a fallacy one or two people have so much experience in one field that they can't be replaced," Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said yesterday. "This department is as healthy today as it was last week in terms of our ability to deal with crime and disorder in the community."
Deputy Chief Roche added, "We still have well over 100 years of experience with the officers remaining (in the vice squad)."
The chief noted that major investigations in the city involve several divisions and, in some cases, other law enforcement agencies were part of the busts.
The vice squad hit the Main South area hard at the beginning of the month and made more than 80 drug and prostitution arrests. On July 17 and 18, along with Monday and Tuesday of this week, the squad went back into Main South and made 25 arrests for prostitution and three drug arrests Tuesday.
"There are still people being arrested in Main South," Capt. Saucier said. "It didn't stop."
If any crime watch groups or city councilors have concerns about criminal activity in their neighborhoods, they are more than welcome to call the police so a meeting can be set up to deal with the issue, Chief Gemme said.
The seven vice squad officers who were transferred are under investigation after an audit of police overtime by a computer program red-flagged at least a half-dozen cases of abuse of court overtime procedures.
The audit found that schedules had been manipulated, vacation time used indiscriminately and, in some cases, the officers might not have even attended court. The audit was for Jan. 1 to June 30, and the total amount in question in the alleged double-dipping scheme is $80,000 to $100,000.
When asked yesterday why the seven officers were not placed on paid or unpaid administrative leave, Chief Gemme said, "It was an administrative decision to make transfers at this time. As the investigation unfolds, we'll take the appropriate action. At this time I believe the most appropriate action to stop the abuse was to make the transfers."
http://www.telegram.com/article/20080725/NEWS/807250576/1101