Massachusetts State Police Had Quota System For Tickets, Prosecutors Say
BOSTON (CBS) - Massachusetts State Police used a quota system for issuing tickets, according to newly released federal court documents.
In the latest court filing in the Troop E overtime pay scandal, prosecutors said troopers had to issue eight tickets during their specialized overtime shifts.
One of the overtime programs, called the Accident and Injury Reduction Effort (AIRE), was aimed at reducing crashes on the Massachusetts Turnpike by targeting aggressive and speeding drivers.
"Troopers were expected to issue a minimum of 8-10 citations for each AIRE shift. Any failure to issue the required number of citations had to be explained to supervisors and command staff. Repeated failures to meet this quota often resulted in a trooper being blocked from receiving such overtime opportunities," federal prosecutors wrote.
State Police have repeatedly denied a quota system exists.
Prosecutors say dozens of troopers abused the system to collect fraudulent overtime.
Troop E, which patrolled the Turnpike, was disbanded after about a third of its troopers were caught up in the overtime scandal, accused of making tens of thousands of dollars for shifts they didn't work.
