State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin to retire
State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin is retiring after two years of leading the embattled agency amid scandal after scandal.
“I leave this job with the satisfaction of knowing that I gave it my heart and soul, under the most trying of circumstances,” Gilpin wrote in a letter announcing her retirement, effective Nov. 15.
It’s unclear who will replace Gilpin in the $200,000-per-year position. Gov. Charlie Baker said the administration will “have more to say about that in a few days.” But Baker said he plans to file a reform package, which he indicated could include a change in state law to create an outside superintendent.
“There are a lot of really terrific people who work for that organization and I admire them, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done there to restore the reputation of that organization,” Baker said.
Gilpin inherited what Baker described as “one of the most significant scandals in the department’s history,” that led to two federal lawsuits when she first began overseeing the 2,100-member organization in 2017. Prior Col. Richard McKeon and his second-in-command, Francis Hughes, resigned after McKeon ordered a trooper to scrub embarrassing statements from an arrest report involving a judge’s daughter. Gilpin led the agency amid the overtime-abuse scandal that has embroiled 46 troopers. One trooper has been charged in a shooting while another is accused of exposing himself.
“I have been tremendously disappointed that some members of this remarkable organization have betrayed the public trust that so many of us worked so hard to earn,” Gilpin wrote in rare public remarks about the scandals. “I have been fully committed to restoring that trust to ensure that the actions of a few do not overshadow the reputation and hard work of the vast majority who conduct themselves with the utmost integrity every day.”
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2CgZ5F5
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