did you hear about the Massachusetts overtime scandal where dozens of troopers in the now-disbanded Troop E were pocketing taxpayer money for overtime they never worked.

 and then there was the staffing shortages at police stations caused by a domino effect where other troopers work overtime to fill the gaps because cops called out of their normal shifts, to work optional overtime shifts. 

Massachusetts State Police fired at least 22 troopers in the wake of the Troop E scandal, which came to light in 2018. Ten faced state or federal charges with many pleading guilty. Several others retired amid the probes.

The state created the Inspector General’s Division of State Police Oversight, which authored the latest report, to audit the beleaguered agency.

Five years later, the oversight division’s report says the overlaps between overtime and regular shifts do not rise to the level of abuse seen in Troop E. The division’s biggest qualm was that the overtime protocols weren’t baked into written policy. But it’s not the first time the oversight division has raised concerns.

A report from last year found that troopers were paid for a combined 447.9 overtime hours they didn’t work in 2016 because of sloppy record-keeping and union agreements.

https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2023/03/13/state-troopers-day-jobs-ot