August 11, 2025 • 39 mins
After a series of scandals at the Massachusetts State Police including the overtime scandal, the firing of Trooper Michael Proctor, and the death of a trainee at the MA State Police Academy, the State Police and Colonel Geoffrey Noble take on the challenge of trying to change the public perception of the State Police. What does the department need to do to restore public trust and a good reputation?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio.
All right, welcome back everybody, Thank you very much, Dan,
and we are going to talk about the Massachusetts State Police.
I think that we have lined up Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey
Noble who will join us at some point. We believe
(00:25):
in early September. That is our plan, at least in
early September.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And there was a pretty extensive article in the Boston
Globe today. State police boss vows to fight erosion of trust.
The new Colonel Jeffrey Noble has been on the job now.
I guess he's in his eleventh month.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
He he inherited a state police here in Massachusetts which
is in a lot of disarray.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
To be really honest with you, the state police have
been rocked by scandal after scandal after scandal. I don't
envy this individual, but he has taken the job. He
has barently grew up in Rhode Island, so he's in
New England or technically, but has been involved with the
(01:26):
New Jersey State Police for his entire career. Of virtually
his entire career, I guess he did a little bit
of work as a summertime officer in Nantucket at some
point early on we'll talk about that. So he has
he hasn't inherited a lot of problems, I mean a
lot of problems. When you think about Massachusetts State Police.
(01:49):
The sad part about it in terms of where it
is right now, is that for many years, for decades,
the Massachusetts State Police were considered, without question, the finest,
the most well trained, well disciplined, well conditioned police force
in the carwalth of Massachusetts. But things have changed dramatically
(02:13):
over the last dozen or so years. High profile scandals
just hitting it over time, fraud, bribery, some sexual misconduct,
and of course we have Michael Proctor, the the state
(02:34):
police officer who investigated the Karen Reid case and I
think disgraced himself and disgraced his his badge and his organization.
There have been troopers out of the turnpike who were
putting in for overtime that they hadn't worked. There were troopers,
(02:58):
young troopers who uh sought favors from young women that
they had stopped, you know, for various traffic misconducts. So
it has gone on and on. The I mean, the
person who is most identified with state police scandals happens
(03:21):
to be proctor. And we also, you know, cannot forget
the name Enrique Delgadio Garcia. Uh. Someone mentioned his name
on the show a couple of weeks ago, which has
kind of prompted me to think about doing this. This
is a young man who a pair of by all accounts,
was a tremendous person, who about a year ago, was
(03:46):
in training to become a State Police trooper. And somehow
he was in a they would call a training session.
I guess he was in a boxing ring in a
training session, and he collapsed and he died trately thereafter.
His family still is hoping to get some clear, definitive
(04:15):
idea of what happened. The State Police saying, look, we
immediately separated ourselves from that investigation. We did not want
to be in a conflict of interest. And a former
district attorney that I know pretty well, David Meyer, is
the person who is in charge of that investigation. We're
(04:36):
now probably in the tenth or eleventh month of that investigation.
I will tell you this, when that investigation is completed,
there's nobody that I have ever known in law enforcement
who had as much integrity as David Meyer. He and
Mark Lee with the assistant District Attorneys in the Suffer
(04:57):
County DA's office, who understood what had been done to
Peter Lamoni and Joe Silvadi, and they worked to clear
their names in the nol pross the corrupt convictions that
they and their family suffered for over thirty years. But
that's not the subject here. We're talking about the state Police.
(05:21):
This was considered as the best state police, the best
police agency in Massachusetts. So what I'd like to do
is give you an opportunity to react. If you read
the article on the Globe today, I think again, the
(05:43):
new colonel, I hope he can follow in the footsteps
of some of the leaders who predated some of these problems,
including former Colonels Tom Foley, who's a guy great integrity,
Charlie Henderson for a female commander of the state Police
here in Massachusetts, Maryan McGovern people who I got to know,
(06:06):
and uh, it is all sort of I think, just
gone by the wayside. Now. I don't know what happened.
I don't know how things turned around, how they changed,
but they they did change, and it seemed to be
there was just too much there were you know, I
(06:27):
believe there were you know, state police officer. There was
a state police officer the other day who in front
of the State Supreme Court lost his pension. He worked
for the pension and that is now he won't benefit
for that. So therefore, because of what he reportedly did, uh,
(06:49):
he will probably have to work well, you know, passed
into old age, unless he hits the lottery or something
like that. And it's it's tough to see because it
was always a very difficult organization to join. They wanted
the best, they expected the best, and for many many
(07:11):
years they seem to have had the best. And now
I can remember there was some drug scandals way back
in the day, towards the late eighties. There was one
trooper down in the Cape who was involved, I think
in drug dealing. You know, there was I guess occasionally
(07:32):
going to be the person who is errant, but it
started to to almost become not that everybody in the
State Police, but there were enough of them. And I
think that this fellow, this detective Michael Proctor, disgraced himself
and he had the two trials, the two Karen Reed trials.
(07:56):
It was embarrassing. So what I want to do is open,
and I don't know. There was a period of time
where the State Police were an institution unto themselves. And
then when Billy Bulger was the Senate President, he was
intent on rolling MDC Police, I think the the State
(08:21):
House Police Department. He wanted to roll a lot of
other agencies, the Registry of Motor Vehicles police officers into
the State Police. This would have been back in the
early nineties. I don't know if that planned in any scenes.
I would hope not. But there have been changes that
have been made and they have not all been good.
(08:43):
So I just would love to invite all of you
to join me and what advice would you have for
the new colonel. He has circulated what his office is
calling their ends for a new and improved State Police
(09:04):
force as a matter of fact, in the Global article today,
and if you if you had a chance to read it,
you'll see what I said. He acknowledges that there has
been an erosion of trust between the State Police and
the public. He is intent on turning that around. We
(09:26):
will have to find out, and as I say, we're
looking forward to talking with him. But those of you
who have had interactions with you know, state police I've
always found them to be extremely professional. I've never had
to deal with a Michael Proctor. I've never had to
deal with some of the truths the best of my knowledge,
who went who ran into problems. There have been plenty
(09:47):
of police departments that have had arrests and indictments, but
when it happened to the State Police, it's stunned a
lot of people. And I think that the new colonel
has quite a task in front of him. And it
(10:07):
turns out that most of these men and sometimes women
who appear and serve as colonel, they're not there for long.
Maybe that's part of the problem, that it just seems
to be churning over there for two three four years, turning, churning, churning,
and that I suspect doesn't help either. So let me
(10:33):
I just want to open up the phone lines. There
were people who asked about Enriquia Delgado Garcia, young guy
twenty five years old who his dream was to become
remember the State Police. He was honored posthumously with the
Trooper badge and the State Police Oath of Office was
(10:55):
administered to him. I believe you know in the in
the minutes or moments before he passed. According to one
article that I that I have here, which is of
some consolation but not much, he became unresponsive during a
defensive tactics training exercise at the Massachusetts State Police Academy
(11:18):
in New Braintreem, Massachusetts. That should never have happened. We
will get the answer to that, I guarantee you, because
David Meyer, who is doing that investigation, will be thorough
and complete, and we will have David Meyer on to
explain what he finds. I guarantee you that as well,
(11:38):
at least I hope we will as much as I
can guarantee anything. Uh, David is someone of immense integrity.
Here's the number six one, seven, two, five, four ten
thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty State Police?
Where do they go wrong? Can they come back from
(11:58):
what has been a huge humiliating period of time. Should
the State Police? I think they have to stay. I
don't think they should be disbanded or change their name.
I think that would be considered frivolous or silly. I
think that the state Police have to come back in Massachusetts.
(12:19):
They are the most important police agency in Massachusetts. Now.
I know some people don't like police. I'd love to
hear your your interaction. Has it been good, bad or ugly?
Six seven four thirty, six seven nine three thirty people
have asked you wanted me to talk about Enriqui Delgado Garcia.
I can't tell you anything more than what I've told you.
(12:41):
That never should have happened. Whatever happened to him should
never have happened, and this should be some responsibility there.
It seems to me the result is just too outrageous.
Back on Nights Out after this Uran Knights with Dan
ray On telling you Boston's News Radio. By the way,
(13:05):
the trooper that I was referring to a retired trooper
Gregory Rafferty. He joined the force in nineteen ninety six.
He retired in twenty eighteen at the age of forty seven.
He racked up twenty one years of eligible service for
the state Police pension plan, which benefited him to more
than seventy two thousand dollars per year. However, he was
(13:27):
convicted in the Troop E overtime scandal, and the retirement
board in a district court felt that he should not
get his pension. Just months after his retirement in twenty eighteen,
he played guilty in federal court to overtime fraud, making
him ineligible for pension benefits according to the Massachusetts Massachusettstate Law. I.
(13:52):
The Supreme Court confirmed that I guess a few days ago. Now,
Rafferty argued that being deprived of his pension was both
an excessive fine or cruel and unusual punishment based upon
the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. JC Justice Scott Kafker disagreed
with both arguments, ruling that the pension loss was a
fine was not excessive, and the cruel and unusual claim
(14:14):
was without merit. He was eligible for overtime shifts in
the accident injury reduction effort and overtime hours for those shifts.
There were several troopers who were indicted for that a
lot of money, and as a result of that, then
(14:36):
Governor Jolly Baker disbanded Troop E in twenty eighteen, which
was out of the turnpike after the investigations began to
point to widespread wrongdoing. And that was an article written
by Flint McColgan of Lost in Herald on August seventh.
So what I'm looking to do here is give you
(14:58):
an opportunity. I know all of you, at different times
will complain to me about problems with police departments. You
got stopped, you were only doing thirty seven and they
wrote you up. You know, I just I would like
to find out one if you agree with me that
(15:18):
the State Police, Massachusetts State Police at one time were
an extraordinary I mean an extraordinary police force when I
was younger, and I think when all of us were younger.
But this has changed, and it's changed because of the
misdeeds of members of that organization. They disgraced themselves, they
(15:42):
disgraced the organization with which they were connected, and that,
to me is the saddest part. If you don't think
enough of yourself not to disgrace yourself, that's one thing,
But to disgrace an organization of which you and your
friends and colleagues devoted years, what does that say about
(16:06):
how much you care about the organization that you aspired to.
So I have wide open lines. I'm surprised that you
are not interested in this topic. If you'd like to
defend the state police, you can do that, although frankly,
I think the number of state police officers who have
(16:28):
been convicted for serious criminal activity is just too much.
That there has to have been something within the organization
that allowed that to occur, and there must there probably
were more people who knew about it, maybe didn't partake
(16:49):
of the activity, but knew that the activity was ongoing,
and they should have had the courage to stand up
as well. So the quick question is what is your
advice to the new State Police colonel. He's in charge.
He is the guy now who has to basically restore
(17:09):
the reputation of the Massachusetts State Police. Not an easy job,
no question about that. And again, a lot of it
you could say as well, it's it's criminal activity, it's
it's a crime, but it's it's financial crime. Well, financial
crime pretty big numbers when you look at what what
(17:30):
how much overtime was built? Pretty big numbers. But even
more important when you think about the loss of family,
losing a son, a state police trooper who all he
wanted to do. He aspired to be a state police trooper.
That's what his goal in life was, uh, and that
that goal in life ended while while trying to become
(17:56):
a member of the State Police. So there were people
who were Enriqui Delgardo Delgado Garcia, he should be right
now a member of the State Police and not someone
whose family continues to mourn. So it's the bottom of
the hour. If you want to talk about it, great,
If you're not, we'll move on. Six one seven, two, five,
(18:17):
four ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty.
My name is Dan Ray. I try to put subjects
out that will make you think and that maybe will
challenge you and your point of view here is to me,
uh important. But it doesn't have to be. It doesn't
have to agree with me. You can you can take
(18:38):
it from a different direction. You can say that it's
not fair to punish the entire department for the malfeasans
of some that's you can. You can make whatever argument
you want. I'm looking also for advice for the new
State Police colonel. Join the conversation six one, seven, four
ten thirty six one seven, nine, three one ten thirty. Uh.
(18:59):
If if you don't want to join the conversation, please
never call again and complain about getting a ticket from
a police officer. Where you're going forty one and forty
mile an hours old. We going back on nights side.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
It's Night Guide on.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
All right, we have full lines. Thank you, very much.
Everybody appreciate you rising to the occasion. So we're going
to get everybody in. I promise, let's let's get to it.
I'm going to start it off with Mike and Hingham. Mike,
you are first tonight on Nightside First this week, thanks
for calling in your advice for the new State Police.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Colonel h My first life Mike opening comment is, I
wouldn't want to be a policing any place in this
country right now. Number one. And number two is we
talked about You talked about how the police, the Staples
have kind of gone downhill over the past decades or so,
and I believe that started when they merged with the
(19:59):
with the MDC. I think that was the beginning of
the end for the state police that we knew and loved,
you know, in the seventies and such. But they were
the NBC came, it was just a different ballgame.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Well, as I mentioned, that was Bill Bulger's great idea,
and I don't think it was a great idea. I
think that the separate identity of the state police, and
I know that there were some police officers, some state
police officers who didn't like the idea of the expansion,
and I think that probably all the unions had to
maintain their seniority, and what didn't matter if you were
(20:32):
a member the park Police or the Registry Police, all
of which are important agencies. But you know, the State
Police up until that point had always been considered the
law enforcement the most professional law enforcement agency in Massachusetts.
And I don't disagree with you, Mike. I think that
(20:53):
that might have been the beginning of I don't want
to say the end, because the State Police aren't done,
but might might have started to take them in a
different direction. But I will tell you this. Some of
the colonels who I knew, like Tom Foley and Charlie
Henderson and Mary McGovern. Uh, they were all colonels after
the merger, and so maybe they have maybe they held
(21:15):
the the organization together and did a better job than
we even realize.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
It's very difficult and uh, you know, certainly a salute
all our police departments here in the state. Uh, it's
just a tough job your age. Uh, and you know,
we need the we need the police. Although the town
I live in right now, I mean it's uh, traffic
and such like that is out of control, you know,
(21:43):
And I don't have enough staffing of what it is.
But it's uh, it's that way every place, you know.
I think it's a moral breakdown across, not just in
hanging them, but in any town.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
The next hour we're going to talk about, at some
point in the later of this evening, we're going to
talk about what the President did today in basically taking
over the District of Columbia Police to probably I have
some strong thoughts on that, and I suspect most of
ours as well as well. So I appreciate you again
what's going here. Thank you very much, thank you. All right,
(22:15):
good night. Let me go to Bob and Cambridge. Bobby
next to the nights, I go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
I Dan, thank you for taking my call. Okay, buddy,
I think that there's good and bad in everybody. You
get a good refrigerator, dant all bad, same thing with
a washing machine, dain all bet all right.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Now.
Speaker 5 (22:36):
I think that this new colonel right has to have
a better control over supervision and follow up, okay, because
if he was supervising better troopy when they were milking
all the overtime, I think you could have been picked up,
you know. But the only thing that really infuriates me.
All those police officers. My father died in the line
(22:58):
of duty as an MDC police officer on Veterans Day
nineteen sixty six. I was thirteen years old. I know
all about respecting police officers. Okay, but this business with
these police officers, like the guy that lost his pension,
he should lose more than his pension. He should be prosecuted,
(23:20):
sentenced to prison, state prison, and put in population. Okay,
that's what I think that should happen.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
That's a rough sentence for any former police officer, as
you know. Well, let me ask you. It's just to
remember your dad for a second. How did he lose
his life on the job.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
My dad was on the MBC police for I believe
twenty two years, twenty three years. He worked all over Nantasket,
Blue Hills, all over. His last assignment, after having four
high attacks on the job, was at twenty Somerset Street.
That was behind the old Supper County quartos the NBC
(24:02):
used to have their headquarters.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Oh yeah, I know exactly where it was.
Speaker 5 (24:05):
Yeah. Absolutely, he went into there. He worked out of there.
He was a dispatcher, amongst other things. And he went
to work one night and had a heart attack while
he was working then an office over there and never
come home. That's how we passed away. But I will
say one thing about the police officers and when they do,
(24:27):
you know, have problems like dying, dying in a line
of duty. They have this thing called one hundred Club.
I remember as a little kid, thirteen years old. Yes,
that's a fantastic organization. Fantastic.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Yes, I'm very familiar with that organization. There are some
friends of mine who are very much involved in it.
I have contributed to it. It's a great organization and
has actually had kind of died out, but it's coming back,
and I know some of the people are involved in
the leadership of it. So if anybody is asked to
support that, that's a legitimate, longstanding organization.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
Absolutely want. Can I say one other thing about the
state police?
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (25:06):
Uh, when you're out here in the middle of the
night on the highway, who helps you? Oh yeah, the
police officers help you. And I'm going to say another thing,
Like I said, there's a good refrigerators are a bad.
Refrigerators are good. Washings are good dryer. They ain't all bad. Okay,
we absolutely no.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Look, I have relatives who worked in the police department.
My producer Marita, her husband is a police officer and
sale in New Hampshire. The vast majority, it's like it's like,
you know, the the the individual baseball player that tries steroids,
that doesn't mean that they're all on steroids. Or the
individual baseball gets caught up in some sort of the
(25:43):
individual pro athlete that gets caught up in some sort
of a gambling situation, that doesn't mean that they're that.
You know, No, you can't paint with the broadbrush. But
when the when the criminal behavior is as reimpant as
it has been in the State Police over some period
of time, there has to be an accounting, and not
(26:05):
just an individual accounting like this guy losing his pension,
but I think an institutional accounting and there has to
be some changes made. And that's what this colonel is
going to have to do. And we will have him,
I guarantee you within the next couple of weeks, uh,
and people will be out I hope will have an
opportunity to call in and make recommendations.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
Okay, see, And one more thing is this new colonel
I don't even know if he or she or what
hember Within grew up apparently grew up.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
In Rhode Island and spent his career in New Jersey.
He was appointed I believe it was last October. The
colonel in the state Police is always appointed by the governor,
so he's been on the job now for about ten months.
But he hasn't He's kept a fairly low profile, which
I think is a smart thing to do. And I
think that you're probably going to see some TV interviews
(26:57):
with him tonight. There was a big article on the Globe.
I'm not sure if I assumed there was one in
the Herald today. I didn't notice if there was. And uh,
and we will have him on this program. I'm told,
uh some some night the first full week in September,
right after Labor Day.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Okay, yeah, Dan, thank you, And you've got a great show.
I listened to you all the time.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
You appreciate it. You to reference your dad. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 5 (27:25):
Thanks. I used to tell you leave the toll collectors
won Remember when I had the toll collector.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Yeah, I feel sorry for those guys at this point,
those guys at gallous, but uh, you know, I think
that I think the tolls have probably it's probably it
was almost inevitable. Thanks Bob, will.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Talk all right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Let me get Steve and Cambridge. Steve, welcome next on nightside.
Garn ahead and not going to make you wake.
Speaker 5 (27:50):
Go ahead, Steve Dan.
Speaker 6 (27:52):
Uh, Well, you're right. I mean, this is not uh,
you're not painting with a broad brush when you say
there's something so systemically wrong with the state police in
Massachusetts at this point, because there's just been too many
to just say it's one or two. There's something wrong systemically. So,
(28:12):
but I think part of the problem then is our
whole society has become very cynical. And are two examples
of that. I think, for example is the state promoting
gambling and this idea that if you make a million
dollars and you walk off the job, you're going to
be happy, and that's the way money is going to
(28:34):
make you happy. I think that's one a symptom of
this cynicism that we have in society where we don't
have any kind of real values, let's say. And the
other is I mean, for example, on every bus now
I'm seeing these big A lot of trial lawyers are painting,
(28:56):
you know, these verdicts. Everyone is going to have a
payout when you know they have an accident and you're
going to sue for millions of dollars and you'll never
have to work again for the rest of your life.
And I think this has permeated our whole society, including
the state Police.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Well, by the way, by the way, that never would
have been allowed. I mean when I first graduated from
law school. Back in the day lawyers, it was considered
unethical to advertise. I mean, you know, basically, lawyers who
wanted to publicize themselves were in for a state representative,
amongst other things. That's why we have so many lawyers,
(29:30):
I think up up at the state House. But you know,
lawyers got around and you know, they would join fraternal
organizations and try to meet people. But the idea of
advertising or the side of a bus or on television,
and it's so fascile, you know, I.
Speaker 6 (29:47):
Mean, this idea that a big payout is going to
somehow make your life just wonderful is an illusion. And
I think I think that's one of the problems that
we have in in general and in the state Police.
It's that, you know, this idea of nothing really is
sacred in a.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Way, well, again, lawyers are important, and it's important for
people when they do suffer an injury, uh, not to
immediately sign the first piece of paper, the paper that
the insurance company puts in front of them. Get a lawyer,
make sure you know.
Speaker 6 (30:23):
But the idea and that yes, that is absolutely true.
But this idea that you can for any possibility injury
you have you're going to be able to get millions
and millions of dollars is not a good effic.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
And by the way, in order to get, as you said,
millions and millions of dollars, you have to suffer a
life altering injury. I mean, you know, a slip and
fall where your twist your ankle is not going to
result in millions and millions of dollars. There are there
are cases that that sadly occur and people do you
(30:59):
know need medical, serious medical care for the rest of
their lives? Questions and but but again they sell that
and the lawyers who are doing the heavy duty advertising,
in my opinion, uh, they are looking for volume of
clients and figuring that if they get one hundred people
(31:19):
walk in the door, maybe five or six of them
will be good contingent fee cases. And they can the
lawyers do very well off four or five good cases
out of one hundred that walk in the door. Most
of them are not going to necessarily result in much of.
Speaker 6 (31:36):
Anything, And not many people are going to win the
lottery either, Dan, Well, that's.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
True, that's true. But again, the thing about that is
that at least it's voluntary. You know, it's not. I
had dev Goldberg on the other night, and this is
the state treasurer, and it's it's voluntary, it's volunteered.
Speaker 6 (31:56):
But I don't think the state should promote it. And
this idea of get rich Qui, Okay, it's a bad
thing for the state to promote that.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
All right. You you are a a You are a
diet in the world traditionalist, and I respect you for it. Okay,
thank you, Dan, Thanks Steve. All of a sudden, a
bunch of folks who are on the lines dropped off.
So if you call him, we'll be able to get
you in before ten o'clock. I'd love to hear from
you your thoughts on the state police, the troubles and
(32:24):
the travails that they've been having. Join this conversation. Six
thirty six. I think that both I should say Mike,
Bob and Steve. Mike from Hingham. Bob and Steve, both
from Cambridge, made great points. Feel free to make people think.
That's what this show is all about. I want you
(32:44):
to think, and I want you to make others think.
Coming back on Nightside right after this quick commercial break.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Night Side with Dan Ray, I'm bes Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
So we had a couple of folks who dropped off.
If you want to up on real quickly here, we're
going to change topics at ten o'clock. We will be
talking at ten o'clock about the interesting move today speaking
about police activity made by President Donald Trump, in which
he has decided, in effect, to federalize the DC Police Department.
(33:18):
To take over the DC Police Department. The mayor of Washington,
d C. Understands that he has the right to do
that for thirty days. I guess he can do it
for thirty days, but he has to get congressional approval
in order to continue with it. He also has activated
eight hundred National Guardsmen, and I happen to think he's right.
I know that some of you might be surprised by this,
(33:40):
but I think that Washington, d C. Is a city
that's in big trouble, and as the nation's capital, we
have an obligation to make sure that that city above
all doesn't fall, and it has been in big trouble
for some time. To be really frank, and I will
list the reasons that I believe that. So as they say, hey,
if you'd like to jump in, we can get you
(34:01):
real quick, real quickly. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten, thirty.
Some of those folks who dropped off jump back, and
we'll give you some priority. My name is Dan Ray.
We are talking about the new State Police colonel big
story today in the Boston Globe. Also, you might have
seen interviews he did with at least four and five.
I watched that today with Colonel Jeffrey Noble. He's been
(34:25):
the colonel now. I guess he's in his eleventh month.
But we will talk with him during the first week
of September, and I'm going to give priority on that
night to people who call in tonight. So Dot in Medford,
you'll be able to talk to the colonel when he
does join us in early September.
Speaker 7 (34:44):
How are you, Dot, Yeah, I'm fine, and I totally
agree with your previous call about the State back on
the lottery. He's absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
Okay, that's fine. Step Steve is a firm. He's mentioned
that before and he is, well, he makes good argument.
Speaker 5 (35:00):
Ahead, I agree with them.
Speaker 6 (35:01):
I agree with them.
Speaker 7 (35:03):
And anyway, I'm colin really about Proctor yep, because I
think isn't it true that that was his private phone
that he used to talk to his wife and his
brother about the case.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
I think he also used Uh, I don't think so
let me tell you, let me finish the sentence. My
understanding is that he also communicated with some other It
was people beyond his wife and his brother. I think
he communicated to state police.
Speaker 7 (35:32):
Colleagues, but it was his private phone.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
You know what, if you say that, Dot, I will
accept that. I don't know that to be true. If
you say that for the purposes of our conversation, you
go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (35:44):
Yeah, Well, anyway, he had a private conversation. Say that
hotshot lawyer from California. What a piece of work he was.
I mean, he would have said anything.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Well, let me ask you this, Dot, Let me you're
you always speak the truth and you speak your mind.
If that was your daughter or your niece who was
a criminal defendant and remarks were made, whether they were
made to close friends or to other officers, other State
(36:19):
police officers, how inappropriate. I mean, it showed the state
of mind. You're a police detective. You are granted the
privilege of investigating serious crimes, including including one here in
which a fellow police officer lost his life. And you're
going to character yes, by the way, and by the way,
(36:42):
if if you happen to believe that Karen Reid was
in any way responsible for the day, absolute hold on,
let me make my point. If that's why I phrased
it this way, his carelessness, his unprofessional behavior. Again, however,
(37:05):
the fact that he put it down in writing showed
a state of mind which probably led to her which
may have contributed to her acquittal.
Speaker 6 (37:13):
Dot I hope not.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
I hope that it sounds something like you want to
defend Michael Proctor, which is I'm glad you're called, but
you're defending the individual who, to a very large extent,
might be responsible for her acquittal.
Speaker 7 (37:31):
I believe the jury would be that stupid, but evidently
they were. Well, I mean, seriously, it's so clear we.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Litigate the case tonight. What advice would you give the
State Police colonel.
Speaker 4 (37:45):
This is I think, do be a favor.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
Do not do not go to your local bookie and
make a bet like that. I don't want you to
lose your money.
Speaker 7 (37:59):
I'm telling you what I think. I think he should
be read.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
I'm just responding to it. I mean, you know, you
told me the moon was was made of green cheese.
I would probably say, I think you're no.
Speaker 6 (38:14):
You wouldn't.
Speaker 7 (38:15):
You'd say, well, let me look at that. But anyway,
I've had good, good, uh relations with the state police,
because if you have time for this. One day, I
was going in the tunnel and I quick figured I
had to go back to South Boston and I made
a U turn going into the going into the tunnel.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
I was in the tunnel.
Speaker 7 (38:43):
Well, I was careful, nothing was coming. I made a
U turn and then a gray tap pulled up behind
me with the flights flashing, and.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
I bet you the lights were blue.
Speaker 7 (38:56):
And it was State TUPA all he got out. He said, oh,
did you know what.
Speaker 5 (39:02):
You just did?
Speaker 6 (39:03):
Ya?
Speaker 7 (39:03):
Da da da? I said, nothing was coming. He said,
I don't care.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Did you know dot, I'm running out a time? Did
he write you out or no? Son to write?
Speaker 7 (39:12):
My line was do, I remind you of your mother,
and right away he changed. Evidently I did, and he
esquided me the ninety three you should have.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Been a lawyer. Dot, you should have been a lawyer.
I got her on dot entertaining call. Thanks much, talk
to you soon.
Speaker 5 (39:29):
We go back.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
When I talk about Donald Trump's decision to basically take
over federalized law enforcement in the nation's capital. I think
it's probably overdue, but we'll see what you have to say.
Coming back on Nightside,
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio.
All right, welcome back everybody, Thank you very much, Dan,
and we are going to talk about the Massachusetts State Police.
I think that we have lined up Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey
Noble who will join us at some point. We believe
(00:25):
in early September. That is our plan, at least in
early September.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And there was a pretty extensive article in the Boston
Globe today. State police boss vows to fight erosion of trust.
The new Colonel Jeffrey Noble has been on the job now.
I guess he's in his eleventh month.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
He he inherited a state police here in Massachusetts which
is in a lot of disarray.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
To be really honest with you, the state police have
been rocked by scandal after scandal after scandal. I don't
envy this individual, but he has taken the job. He
has barently grew up in Rhode Island, so he's in
New England or technically, but has been involved with the
(01:26):
New Jersey State Police for his entire career. Of virtually
his entire career, I guess he did a little bit
of work as a summertime officer in Nantucket at some
point early on we'll talk about that. So he has
he hasn't inherited a lot of problems, I mean a
lot of problems. When you think about Massachusetts State Police.
(01:49):
The sad part about it in terms of where it
is right now, is that for many years, for decades,
the Massachusetts State Police were considered, without question, the finest,
the most well trained, well disciplined, well conditioned police force
in the carwalth of Massachusetts. But things have changed dramatically
(02:13):
over the last dozen or so years. High profile scandals
just hitting it over time, fraud, bribery, some sexual misconduct,
and of course we have Michael Proctor, the the state
(02:34):
police officer who investigated the Karen Reid case and I
think disgraced himself and disgraced his his badge and his organization.
There have been troopers out of the turnpike who were
putting in for overtime that they hadn't worked. There were troopers,
(02:58):
young troopers who uh sought favors from young women that
they had stopped, you know, for various traffic misconducts. So
it has gone on and on. The I mean, the
person who is most identified with state police scandals happens
(03:21):
to be proctor. And we also, you know, cannot forget
the name Enrique Delgadio Garcia. Uh. Someone mentioned his name
on the show a couple of weeks ago, which has
kind of prompted me to think about doing this. This
is a young man who a pair of by all accounts,
was a tremendous person, who about a year ago, was
(03:46):
in training to become a State Police trooper. And somehow
he was in a they would call a training session.
I guess he was in a boxing ring in a
training session, and he collapsed and he died trately thereafter.
His family still is hoping to get some clear, definitive
(04:15):
idea of what happened. The State Police saying, look, we
immediately separated ourselves from that investigation. We did not want
to be in a conflict of interest. And a former
district attorney that I know pretty well, David Meyer, is
the person who is in charge of that investigation. We're
(04:36):
now probably in the tenth or eleventh month of that investigation.
I will tell you this, when that investigation is completed,
there's nobody that I have ever known in law enforcement
who had as much integrity as David Meyer. He and
Mark Lee with the assistant District Attorneys in the Suffer
(04:57):
County DA's office, who understood what had been done to
Peter Lamoni and Joe Silvadi, and they worked to clear
their names in the nol pross the corrupt convictions that
they and their family suffered for over thirty years. But
that's not the subject here. We're talking about the state Police.
(05:21):
This was considered as the best state police, the best
police agency in Massachusetts. So what I'd like to do
is give you an opportunity to react. If you read
the article on the Globe today, I think again, the
(05:43):
new colonel, I hope he can follow in the footsteps
of some of the leaders who predated some of these problems,
including former Colonels Tom Foley, who's a guy great integrity,
Charlie Henderson for a female commander of the state Police
here in Massachusetts, Maryan McGovern people who I got to know,
(06:06):
and uh, it is all sort of I think, just
gone by the wayside. Now. I don't know what happened.
I don't know how things turned around, how they changed,
but they they did change, and it seemed to be
there was just too much there were you know, I
(06:27):
believe there were you know, state police officer. There was
a state police officer the other day who in front
of the State Supreme Court lost his pension. He worked
for the pension and that is now he won't benefit
for that. So therefore, because of what he reportedly did, uh,
(06:49):
he will probably have to work well, you know, passed
into old age, unless he hits the lottery or something
like that. And it's it's tough to see because it
was always a very difficult organization to join. They wanted
the best, they expected the best, and for many many
(07:11):
years they seem to have had the best. And now
I can remember there was some drug scandals way back
in the day, towards the late eighties. There was one
trooper down in the Cape who was involved, I think
in drug dealing. You know, there was I guess occasionally
(07:32):
going to be the person who is errant, but it
started to to almost become not that everybody in the
State Police, but there were enough of them. And I
think that this fellow, this detective Michael Proctor, disgraced himself
and he had the two trials, the two Karen Reed trials.
(07:56):
It was embarrassing. So what I want to do is open,
and I don't know. There was a period of time
where the State Police were an institution unto themselves. And
then when Billy Bulger was the Senate President, he was
intent on rolling MDC Police, I think the the State
(08:21):
House Police Department. He wanted to roll a lot of
other agencies, the Registry of Motor Vehicles police officers into
the State Police. This would have been back in the
early nineties. I don't know if that planned in any scenes.
I would hope not. But there have been changes that
have been made and they have not all been good.
(08:43):
So I just would love to invite all of you
to join me and what advice would you have for
the new colonel. He has circulated what his office is
calling their ends for a new and improved State Police
(09:04):
force as a matter of fact, in the Global article today,
and if you if you had a chance to read it,
you'll see what I said. He acknowledges that there has
been an erosion of trust between the State Police and
the public. He is intent on turning that around. We
(09:26):
will have to find out, and as I say, we're
looking forward to talking with him. But those of you
who have had interactions with you know, state police I've
always found them to be extremely professional. I've never had
to deal with a Michael Proctor. I've never had to
deal with some of the truths the best of my knowledge,
who went who ran into problems. There have been plenty
(09:47):
of police departments that have had arrests and indictments, but
when it happened to the State Police, it's stunned a
lot of people. And I think that the new colonel
has quite a task in front of him. And it
(10:07):
turns out that most of these men and sometimes women
who appear and serve as colonel, they're not there for long.
Maybe that's part of the problem, that it just seems
to be churning over there for two three four years, turning, churning, churning,
and that I suspect doesn't help either. So let me
(10:33):
I just want to open up the phone lines. There
were people who asked about Enriquia Delgado Garcia, young guy
twenty five years old who his dream was to become
remember the State Police. He was honored posthumously with the
Trooper badge and the State Police Oath of Office was
(10:55):
administered to him. I believe you know in the in
the minutes or moments before he passed. According to one
article that I that I have here, which is of
some consolation but not much, he became unresponsive during a
defensive tactics training exercise at the Massachusetts State Police Academy
(11:18):
in New Braintreem, Massachusetts. That should never have happened. We
will get the answer to that, I guarantee you, because
David Meyer, who is doing that investigation, will be thorough
and complete, and we will have David Meyer on to
explain what he finds. I guarantee you that as well,
(11:38):
at least I hope we will as much as I
can guarantee anything. Uh, David is someone of immense integrity.
Here's the number six one, seven, two, five, four ten
thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty State Police?
Where do they go wrong? Can they come back from
(11:58):
what has been a huge humiliating period of time. Should
the State Police? I think they have to stay. I
don't think they should be disbanded or change their name.
I think that would be considered frivolous or silly. I
think that the state Police have to come back in Massachusetts.
(12:19):
They are the most important police agency in Massachusetts. Now.
I know some people don't like police. I'd love to
hear your your interaction. Has it been good, bad or ugly?
Six seven four thirty, six seven nine three thirty people
have asked you wanted me to talk about Enriqui Delgado Garcia.
I can't tell you anything more than what I've told you.
(12:41):
That never should have happened. Whatever happened to him should
never have happened, and this should be some responsibility there.
It seems to me the result is just too outrageous.
Back on Nights Out after this Uran Knights with Dan
ray On telling you Boston's News Radio. By the way,
(13:05):
the trooper that I was referring to a retired trooper
Gregory Rafferty. He joined the force in nineteen ninety six.
He retired in twenty eighteen at the age of forty seven.
He racked up twenty one years of eligible service for
the state Police pension plan, which benefited him to more
than seventy two thousand dollars per year. However, he was
(13:27):
convicted in the Troop E overtime scandal, and the retirement
board in a district court felt that he should not
get his pension. Just months after his retirement in twenty eighteen,
he played guilty in federal court to overtime fraud, making
him ineligible for pension benefits according to the Massachusetts Massachusettstate Law. I.
(13:52):
The Supreme Court confirmed that I guess a few days ago. Now,
Rafferty argued that being deprived of his pension was both
an excessive fine or cruel and unusual punishment based upon
the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights. JC Justice Scott Kafker disagreed
with both arguments, ruling that the pension loss was a
fine was not excessive, and the cruel and unusual claim
(14:14):
was without merit. He was eligible for overtime shifts in
the accident injury reduction effort and overtime hours for those shifts.
There were several troopers who were indicted for that a
lot of money, and as a result of that, then
(14:36):
Governor Jolly Baker disbanded Troop E in twenty eighteen, which
was out of the turnpike after the investigations began to
point to widespread wrongdoing. And that was an article written
by Flint McColgan of Lost in Herald on August seventh.
So what I'm looking to do here is give you
(14:58):
an opportunity. I know all of you, at different times
will complain to me about problems with police departments. You
got stopped, you were only doing thirty seven and they
wrote you up. You know, I just I would like
to find out one if you agree with me that
(15:18):
the State Police, Massachusetts State Police at one time were
an extraordinary I mean an extraordinary police force when I
was younger, and I think when all of us were younger.
But this has changed, and it's changed because of the
misdeeds of members of that organization. They disgraced themselves, they
(15:42):
disgraced the organization with which they were connected, and that,
to me is the saddest part. If you don't think
enough of yourself not to disgrace yourself, that's one thing,
But to disgrace an organization of which you and your
friends and colleagues devoted years, what does that say about
(16:06):
how much you care about the organization that you aspired to.
So I have wide open lines. I'm surprised that you
are not interested in this topic. If you'd like to
defend the state police, you can do that, although frankly,
I think the number of state police officers who have
(16:28):
been convicted for serious criminal activity is just too much.
That there has to have been something within the organization
that allowed that to occur, and there must there probably
were more people who knew about it, maybe didn't partake
(16:49):
of the activity, but knew that the activity was ongoing,
and they should have had the courage to stand up
as well. So the quick question is what is your
advice to the new State Police colonel. He's in charge.
He is the guy now who has to basically restore
(17:09):
the reputation of the Massachusetts State Police. Not an easy job,
no question about that. And again, a lot of it
you could say as well, it's it's criminal activity, it's
it's a crime, but it's it's financial crime. Well, financial
crime pretty big numbers when you look at what what
(17:30):
how much overtime was built? Pretty big numbers. But even
more important when you think about the loss of family,
losing a son, a state police trooper who all he
wanted to do. He aspired to be a state police trooper.
That's what his goal in life was, uh, and that
that goal in life ended while while trying to become
(17:56):
a member of the State Police. So there were people
who were Enriqui Delgardo Delgado Garcia, he should be right
now a member of the State Police and not someone
whose family continues to mourn. So it's the bottom of
the hour. If you want to talk about it, great,
If you're not, we'll move on. Six one seven, two, five,
(18:17):
four ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty.
My name is Dan Ray. I try to put subjects
out that will make you think and that maybe will
challenge you and your point of view here is to me,
uh important. But it doesn't have to be. It doesn't
have to agree with me. You can you can take
(18:38):
it from a different direction. You can say that it's
not fair to punish the entire department for the malfeasans
of some that's you can. You can make whatever argument
you want. I'm looking also for advice for the new
State Police colonel. Join the conversation six one, seven, four
ten thirty six one seven, nine, three one ten thirty. Uh.
(18:59):
If if you don't want to join the conversation, please
never call again and complain about getting a ticket from
a police officer. Where you're going forty one and forty
mile an hours old. We going back on nights side.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
It's Night Guide on.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
All right, we have full lines. Thank you, very much.
Everybody appreciate you rising to the occasion. So we're going
to get everybody in. I promise, let's let's get to it.
I'm going to start it off with Mike and Hingham. Mike,
you are first tonight on Nightside First this week, thanks
for calling in your advice for the new State Police.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Colonel h My first life Mike opening comment is, I
wouldn't want to be a policing any place in this
country right now. Number one. And number two is we
talked about You talked about how the police, the Staples
have kind of gone downhill over the past decades or so,
and I believe that started when they merged with the
(19:59):
with the MDC. I think that was the beginning of
the end for the state police that we knew and loved,
you know, in the seventies and such. But they were
the NBC came, it was just a different ballgame.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Well, as I mentioned, that was Bill Bulger's great idea,
and I don't think it was a great idea. I
think that the separate identity of the state police, and
I know that there were some police officers, some state
police officers who didn't like the idea of the expansion,
and I think that probably all the unions had to
maintain their seniority, and what didn't matter if you were
(20:32):
a member the park Police or the Registry Police, all
of which are important agencies. But you know, the State
Police up until that point had always been considered the
law enforcement the most professional law enforcement agency in Massachusetts.
And I don't disagree with you, Mike. I think that
(20:53):
that might have been the beginning of I don't want
to say the end, because the State Police aren't done,
but might might have started to take them in a
different direction. But I will tell you this. Some of
the colonels who I knew, like Tom Foley and Charlie
Henderson and Mary McGovern. Uh, they were all colonels after
the merger, and so maybe they have maybe they held
(21:15):
the the organization together and did a better job than
we even realize.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
It's very difficult and uh, you know, certainly a salute
all our police departments here in the state. Uh, it's
just a tough job your age. Uh, and you know,
we need the we need the police. Although the town
I live in right now, I mean it's uh, traffic
and such like that is out of control, you know,
(21:43):
And I don't have enough staffing of what it is.
But it's uh, it's that way every place, you know.
I think it's a moral breakdown across, not just in
hanging them, but in any town.
Speaker 1 (21:53):
The next hour we're going to talk about, at some
point in the later of this evening, we're going to
talk about what the President did today in basically taking
over the District of Columbia Police to probably I have
some strong thoughts on that, and I suspect most of
ours as well as well. So I appreciate you again
what's going here. Thank you very much, thank you. All right,
(22:15):
good night. Let me go to Bob and Cambridge. Bobby
next to the nights, I go right ahead.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
I Dan, thank you for taking my call. Okay, buddy,
I think that there's good and bad in everybody. You
get a good refrigerator, dant all bad, same thing with
a washing machine, dain all bet all right.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Now.
Speaker 5 (22:36):
I think that this new colonel right has to have
a better control over supervision and follow up, okay, because
if he was supervising better troopy when they were milking
all the overtime, I think you could have been picked up,
you know. But the only thing that really infuriates me.
All those police officers. My father died in the line
(22:58):
of duty as an MDC police officer on Veterans Day
nineteen sixty six. I was thirteen years old. I know
all about respecting police officers. Okay, but this business with
these police officers, like the guy that lost his pension,
he should lose more than his pension. He should be prosecuted,
(23:20):
sentenced to prison, state prison, and put in population. Okay,
that's what I think that should happen.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
That's a rough sentence for any former police officer, as
you know. Well, let me ask you. It's just to
remember your dad for a second. How did he lose
his life on the job.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
My dad was on the MBC police for I believe
twenty two years, twenty three years. He worked all over Nantasket,
Blue Hills, all over. His last assignment, after having four
high attacks on the job, was at twenty Somerset Street.
That was behind the old Supper County quartos the NBC
(24:02):
used to have their headquarters.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
Oh yeah, I know exactly where it was.
Speaker 5 (24:05):
Yeah. Absolutely, he went into there. He worked out of there.
He was a dispatcher, amongst other things. And he went
to work one night and had a heart attack while
he was working then an office over there and never
come home. That's how we passed away. But I will
say one thing about the police officers and when they do,
(24:27):
you know, have problems like dying, dying in a line
of duty. They have this thing called one hundred Club.
I remember as a little kid, thirteen years old. Yes,
that's a fantastic organization. Fantastic.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Yes, I'm very familiar with that organization. There are some
friends of mine who are very much involved in it.
I have contributed to it. It's a great organization and
has actually had kind of died out, but it's coming back,
and I know some of the people are involved in
the leadership of it. So if anybody is asked to
support that, that's a legitimate, longstanding organization.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
Absolutely want. Can I say one other thing about the
state police?
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Sure?
Speaker 5 (25:06):
Uh, when you're out here in the middle of the
night on the highway, who helps you? Oh yeah, the
police officers help you. And I'm going to say another thing,
Like I said, there's a good refrigerators are a bad.
Refrigerators are good. Washings are good dryer. They ain't all bad. Okay,
we absolutely no.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Look, I have relatives who worked in the police department.
My producer Marita, her husband is a police officer and
sale in New Hampshire. The vast majority, it's like it's like,
you know, the the the individual baseball player that tries steroids,
that doesn't mean that they're all on steroids. Or the
individual baseball gets caught up in some sort of the
(25:43):
individual pro athlete that gets caught up in some sort
of a gambling situation, that doesn't mean that they're that.
You know, No, you can't paint with the broadbrush. But
when the when the criminal behavior is as reimpant as
it has been in the State Police over some period
of time, there has to be an accounting, and not
(26:05):
just an individual accounting like this guy losing his pension,
but I think an institutional accounting and there has to
be some changes made. And that's what this colonel is
going to have to do. And we will have him,
I guarantee you within the next couple of weeks, uh,
and people will be out I hope will have an
opportunity to call in and make recommendations.
Speaker 5 (26:26):
Okay, see, And one more thing is this new colonel
I don't even know if he or she or what
hember Within grew up apparently grew up.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
In Rhode Island and spent his career in New Jersey.
He was appointed I believe it was last October. The
colonel in the state Police is always appointed by the governor,
so he's been on the job now for about ten months.
But he hasn't He's kept a fairly low profile, which
I think is a smart thing to do. And I
think that you're probably going to see some TV interviews
(26:57):
with him tonight. There was a big article on the Globe.
I'm not sure if I assumed there was one in
the Herald today. I didn't notice if there was. And uh,
and we will have him on this program. I'm told,
uh some some night the first full week in September,
right after Labor Day.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
Okay, yeah, Dan, thank you, And you've got a great show.
I listened to you all the time.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
You appreciate it. You to reference your dad. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 5 (27:25):
Thanks. I used to tell you leave the toll collectors
won Remember when I had the toll collector.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Yeah, I feel sorry for those guys at this point,
those guys at gallous, but uh, you know, I think
that I think the tolls have probably it's probably it
was almost inevitable. Thanks Bob, will.
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Talk all right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Let me get Steve and Cambridge. Steve, welcome next on nightside.
Garn ahead and not going to make you wake.
Speaker 5 (27:50):
Go ahead, Steve Dan.
Speaker 6 (27:52):
Uh, Well, you're right. I mean, this is not uh,
you're not painting with a broad brush when you say
there's something so systemically wrong with the state police in
Massachusetts at this point, because there's just been too many
to just say it's one or two. There's something wrong systemically. So,
(28:12):
but I think part of the problem then is our
whole society has become very cynical. And are two examples
of that. I think, for example is the state promoting
gambling and this idea that if you make a million
dollars and you walk off the job, you're going to
be happy, and that's the way money is going to
(28:34):
make you happy. I think that's one a symptom of
this cynicism that we have in society where we don't
have any kind of real values, let's say. And the
other is I mean, for example, on every bus now
I'm seeing these big A lot of trial lawyers are painting,
(28:56):
you know, these verdicts. Everyone is going to have a
payout when you know they have an accident and you're
going to sue for millions of dollars and you'll never
have to work again for the rest of your life.
And I think this has permeated our whole society, including
the state Police.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Well, by the way, by the way, that never would
have been allowed. I mean when I first graduated from
law school. Back in the day lawyers, it was considered
unethical to advertise. I mean, you know, basically, lawyers who
wanted to publicize themselves were in for a state representative,
amongst other things. That's why we have so many lawyers,
(29:30):
I think up up at the state House. But you know,
lawyers got around and you know, they would join fraternal
organizations and try to meet people. But the idea of
advertising or the side of a bus or on television,
and it's so fascile, you know, I.
Speaker 6 (29:47):
Mean, this idea that a big payout is going to
somehow make your life just wonderful is an illusion. And
I think I think that's one of the problems that
we have in in general and in the state Police.
It's that, you know, this idea of nothing really is
sacred in a.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Way, well, again, lawyers are important, and it's important for
people when they do suffer an injury, uh, not to
immediately sign the first piece of paper, the paper that
the insurance company puts in front of them. Get a lawyer,
make sure you know.
Speaker 6 (30:23):
But the idea and that yes, that is absolutely true.
But this idea that you can for any possibility injury
you have you're going to be able to get millions
and millions of dollars is not a good effic.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
And by the way, in order to get, as you said,
millions and millions of dollars, you have to suffer a
life altering injury. I mean, you know, a slip and
fall where your twist your ankle is not going to
result in millions and millions of dollars. There are there
are cases that that sadly occur and people do you
(30:59):
know need medical, serious medical care for the rest of
their lives? Questions and but but again they sell that
and the lawyers who are doing the heavy duty advertising,
in my opinion, uh, they are looking for volume of
clients and figuring that if they get one hundred people
(31:19):
walk in the door, maybe five or six of them
will be good contingent fee cases. And they can the
lawyers do very well off four or five good cases
out of one hundred that walk in the door. Most
of them are not going to necessarily result in much of.
Speaker 6 (31:36):
Anything, And not many people are going to win the
lottery either, Dan, Well, that's.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
True, that's true. But again, the thing about that is
that at least it's voluntary. You know, it's not. I
had dev Goldberg on the other night, and this is
the state treasurer, and it's it's voluntary, it's volunteered.
Speaker 6 (31:56):
But I don't think the state should promote it. And
this idea of get rich Qui, Okay, it's a bad
thing for the state to promote that.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
All right. You you are a a You are a
diet in the world traditionalist, and I respect you for it. Okay,
thank you, Dan, Thanks Steve. All of a sudden, a
bunch of folks who are on the lines dropped off.
So if you call him, we'll be able to get
you in before ten o'clock. I'd love to hear from
you your thoughts on the state police, the troubles and
(32:24):
the travails that they've been having. Join this conversation. Six
thirty six. I think that both I should say Mike,
Bob and Steve. Mike from Hingham. Bob and Steve, both
from Cambridge, made great points. Feel free to make people think.
That's what this show is all about. I want you
(32:44):
to think, and I want you to make others think.
Coming back on Nightside right after this quick commercial break.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
Night Side with Dan Ray, I'm bes Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
So we had a couple of folks who dropped off.
If you want to up on real quickly here, we're
going to change topics at ten o'clock. We will be
talking at ten o'clock about the interesting move today speaking
about police activity made by President Donald Trump, in which
he has decided, in effect, to federalize the DC Police Department.
(33:18):
To take over the DC Police Department. The mayor of Washington,
d C. Understands that he has the right to do
that for thirty days. I guess he can do it
for thirty days, but he has to get congressional approval
in order to continue with it. He also has activated
eight hundred National Guardsmen, and I happen to think he's right.
I know that some of you might be surprised by this,
(33:40):
but I think that Washington, d C. Is a city
that's in big trouble, and as the nation's capital, we
have an obligation to make sure that that city above
all doesn't fall, and it has been in big trouble
for some time. To be really frank, and I will
list the reasons that I believe that. So as they say, hey,
if you'd like to jump in, we can get you
(34:01):
real quick, real quickly. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten, thirty.
Some of those folks who dropped off jump back, and
we'll give you some priority. My name is Dan Ray.
We are talking about the new State Police colonel big
story today in the Boston Globe. Also, you might have
seen interviews he did with at least four and five.
I watched that today with Colonel Jeffrey Noble. He's been
(34:25):
the colonel now. I guess he's in his eleventh month.
But we will talk with him during the first week
of September, and I'm going to give priority on that
night to people who call in tonight. So Dot in Medford,
you'll be able to talk to the colonel when he
does join us in early September.
Speaker 7 (34:44):
How are you, Dot, Yeah, I'm fine, and I totally
agree with your previous call about the State back on
the lottery. He's absolutely right.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
Okay, that's fine. Step Steve is a firm. He's mentioned
that before and he is, well, he makes good argument.
Speaker 5 (35:00):
Ahead, I agree with them.
Speaker 6 (35:01):
I agree with them.
Speaker 7 (35:03):
And anyway, I'm colin really about Proctor yep, because I
think isn't it true that that was his private phone
that he used to talk to his wife and his
brother about the case.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
I think he also used Uh, I don't think so
let me tell you, let me finish the sentence. My
understanding is that he also communicated with some other It
was people beyond his wife and his brother. I think
he communicated to state police.
Speaker 7 (35:32):
Colleagues, but it was his private phone.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
You know what, if you say that, Dot, I will
accept that. I don't know that to be true. If
you say that for the purposes of our conversation, you
go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (35:44):
Yeah, Well, anyway, he had a private conversation. Say that
hotshot lawyer from California. What a piece of work he was.
I mean, he would have said anything.
Speaker 1 (35:57):
Well, let me ask you this, Dot, Let me you're
you always speak the truth and you speak your mind.
If that was your daughter or your niece who was
a criminal defendant and remarks were made, whether they were
made to close friends or to other officers, other State
(36:19):
police officers, how inappropriate. I mean, it showed the state
of mind. You're a police detective. You are granted the
privilege of investigating serious crimes, including including one here in
which a fellow police officer lost his life. And you're
going to character yes, by the way, and by the way,
(36:42):
if if you happen to believe that Karen Reid was
in any way responsible for the day, absolute hold on,
let me make my point. If that's why I phrased
it this way, his carelessness, his unprofessional behavior. Again, however,
(37:05):
the fact that he put it down in writing showed
a state of mind which probably led to her which
may have contributed to her acquittal.
Speaker 6 (37:13):
Dot I hope not.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
I hope that it sounds something like you want to
defend Michael Proctor, which is I'm glad you're called, but
you're defending the individual who, to a very large extent,
might be responsible for her acquittal.
Speaker 7 (37:31):
I believe the jury would be that stupid, but evidently
they were. Well, I mean, seriously, it's so clear we.
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Litigate the case tonight. What advice would you give the
State Police colonel.
Speaker 4 (37:45):
This is I think, do be a favor.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
Do not do not go to your local bookie and
make a bet like that. I don't want you to
lose your money.
Speaker 7 (37:59):
I'm telling you what I think. I think he should
be read.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
I'm just responding to it. I mean, you know, you
told me the moon was was made of green cheese.
I would probably say, I think you're no.
Speaker 6 (38:14):
You wouldn't.
Speaker 7 (38:15):
You'd say, well, let me look at that. But anyway,
I've had good, good, uh relations with the state police,
because if you have time for this. One day, I
was going in the tunnel and I quick figured I
had to go back to South Boston and I made
a U turn going into the going into the tunnel.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
I was in the tunnel.
Speaker 7 (38:43):
Well, I was careful, nothing was coming. I made a
U turn and then a gray tap pulled up behind
me with the flights flashing, and.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
I bet you the lights were blue.
Speaker 7 (38:56):
And it was State TUPA all he got out. He said, oh,
did you know what.
Speaker 5 (39:02):
You just did?
Speaker 6 (39:03):
Ya?
Speaker 7 (39:03):
Da da da? I said, nothing was coming. He said,
I don't care.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Did you know dot, I'm running out a time? Did
he write you out or no? Son to write?
Speaker 7 (39:12):
My line was do, I remind you of your mother,
and right away he changed. Evidently I did, and he
esquided me the ninety three you should have.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
Been a lawyer. Dot, you should have been a lawyer.
I got her on dot entertaining call. Thanks much, talk
to you soon.
Speaker 5 (39:29):
We go back.
Speaker 1 (39:30):
When I talk about Donald Trump's decision to basically take
over federalized law enforcement in the nation's capital. I think
it's probably overdue, but we'll see what you have to say.
Coming back on Nightside,
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