By Michele McPhee
The Boston Herald
LANCASTER, Mass. — A Department of Correction prison guard has been suspended with pay after he was accused of double dipping, using underlings to punch him in at the jail while he pulled paid police details as a Lancaster cop, the Herald has learned.
DOC officials confirmed that Sgt. James McNamara, who is one of seven reserve officers with the Lancaster Police Department, is being investigated for the alleged scam, but no action has been taken against him in the town of Lancaster, the chief of that department, Kevin Lamb, said yesterday.
“We are aware of the Department of Correction investigation, but there is no investigation on our end,” Lamb said.
Lamb said he does not plan to take any action against McNamara. Last year, McNamara made roughly $70,000 as a DOC sergeant in the medium-security facility, according to state payroll records.
DOC sources said McNamara is now cooperating with the investigation, and has implicated other officers for punching his time card while he was actually out working paid details for the Lancaster police. Reserve police officers in that town are entitled to earn detail pay, Lamb said.
Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union President Steve Kenneway confirmed yesterday that other prison guards had been implicated in the case.
“We have been informed that there is an investigation not only into Sgt. McNamara, but other people have been accused of involvement,” Kenneway said.
DOC spokeswoman Diane Wiffin said McNamara had been put on paid leave pending the result of the ongoing investigation.
Last August the Herald disclosed that Boston Police Department brass had engaged in a sweeping investigation into alleged detail abuse.
The next month, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis moved to fire four BPD veteran supervisors who were suspended after an internal investigation found they had allegedly double-dipped on details and filed bogus time cards.
Copyright 2007 The Boston Herald