Advertisement Shakeup in the State Police – Col. McKeon retires amid altered report allegations Gov. Baker said Col. McKeon 'made a mistake' getting involved with arrest report edits Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police is retiring amidst several swirling controversies.Col. Richard McKeon was appointed by Governor Baker to lead the department in July 2015. He joined the Massachusetts State Police in 1982."Part of our code of honor is understanding when your own personal ambition detracts from the greater good of our mission," McKeon said in a statement Friday. "I have today decided that putting the greater good of the Massachusetts State Police first, necessitates my decision to retire after 35 years of proud service."His retirement is effective on Nov. 17.Col. McKeon was one of the department heads sued this week by a trooper, who claims that he was ordered to scrub an arrest report involving a judge’s daughter of embarrassing remarks and details.Trooper Ryan Sceviour said that he was disciplined and told to change the arrest report for Alli Bibaud, who was found in possession of a heroin kit and charged with operating under the influence.Bibaud’s father is Judge Timothy Bibaud, who sits on the state Trial Court.Sceviour said he was ordered to remove Bibaud’s statements referencing her father’s position, offering sexual acts in exchange for leniency and that she had performed such acts in exchange for drugs. "That's completely ridiculous," said Trooper Dana Pullman, president of the State Police Association. "Troopers operate under the same rules as any other police officer. Evidence is collected. Every statement, every utterance is put in the police report. It benefits the trooper, it benefits the prosecutor, it benefits the defendant."The trooper alleges that the order to change his report came from Public Safety Secretary Daniel Bennett through State Police Superintendent Col. Richard McKeon and down the ranks.Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday that Bennett had nothing to do with the order, but launched an internal investigation into Sceviour’s allegations.A second lawsuit filed on Friday alleges Major Sue Anderson ordered Trooper Ali Rei to erase entries about Bibaud from a department computer and to take information out of a log and shred it."The Governor believes that Colonel McKeon made a mistake by getting involved in the Bibaud case and has ordered the State Police to examine procedures for the review of arrest reports," said Lizzy Guyton, the governor's communications director.The state police have also been rocked in recent weeks by a scandal involving questionable methods used by four ranking supervisors and one trooper, which may have been designed to beat the system and collect extra pay for work not done.5 Investigates spent six months investigating the situation and found that certain members of Troop E were paid for more than 100 overtime shifts targeting dangerous drivers where no speeding tickets were written at all.The four lieutenants highlighted in the 5 Investigates report were transferred out of Troop E in late October.A state police spokesperson told 5 Investigates that in some cases, citations may not have been written during overtime shifts due to lieutenants performing other duties or responding to calls.The spokesperson added that the department has no tolerance for misconduct.Major Sue Anderson was also involved in the firestorm created by word of a possible quota system for troopers exposed by 5 Investigates. Troop and station commander memos and emails called for new performance standards where under-performers would be reprimanded and high achievers rewarded. The department said they have no quotas and that this was all a misunderstanding. As of 5 p.m., 5Investigates reports there are no other members of the state police leadership who have filed for retirement or resignation.Message from Col. Richard McKeon:"The past few days have been difficult for the MSP and for me, in particular. We have always been highly scrutinized for how we perform our duties, as any police agency should be, and these last few days have been no exception. That public examination, while sometimes uncomfortable, comes with the great authority bestowed upon us, and we must always pay attention to how we are perceived by those whom we serve and protect."Each and every one of you is on my mind today, as you have been during the past two-and-a-half years during which I have had the honor and privilege to serve as your Superintendent. We may at times disagree on how we do this job, but I have no doubt that the more than 2,000 men and women who put their lives on the line every day for the Massachusetts State Police are dedicated to doing their very best every day to protect the honor of our corps and the safety of our citizens."Part of our code of honor is understanding when your own personal ambition detracts from the greater good of our mission. I have today decided that putting the greater good of the Massachusetts State Police first, necessitates my decision to retire after 35 years of proud service. I am honored to have served as your Superintendent and grateful for the honor of working with you. I am also thankful to the Governor and the Secretary of Public Safety and Security for the privilege of serving in this position.What has been lost in the headlines in recent days is another part of the unspoken code that we follow -- to do our jobs with professionalism, compassion and empathy. "You are counted as among the most elite police forces in the country because you have learned to balance the need to enforce the law with an understanding that those we arrest are people with real lives and aspirations who have stumbled. The lesson I learned early in my career, have lived by ever since, and have tried to impart to those I've had the privilege to command, is that you can do your job to protect the public safety while also understanding that even offenders are people who need to reclaim their lives and move on after they have paid their debt."This is perhaps no more true than it is for those who have been victimized by the scourge of opioid abuse. We have fought the opioid epidemic on multiple fronts, including enforcement, treatment, and education. Illegal use of narcotics is a crime, and we never have backed down, and never will, from investigating, arresting, and prosecuting those who break our drug trafficking and possession laws. But opioid addiction is also a sickness, and as police officers, we stand tallest when we treat everyone we encounter with respect and decency."This fellowship that is the MSP has existed for 152 years and our agency will continue to be one of the greatest police forces in this country. But it needs the good and conscientious work of each and every one of you who wear the badge, to demonstrate not only your ability to enforce the law, but also to understand that how you enforce the law is every bit as important."Thank you one and all for serving alongside me. It had been a privilege to serve as your Superintendent."Statement from Gov. Charlie Baker:“Governor Baker appreciates Colonel McKeon’s service to the Massachusetts State Police, is thankful for his commitment to the Commonwealth’s public safety and wishes him well in his retirement. The Governor believes that Colonel McKeon made a mistake by getting involved in the Bibaud case and has ordered the State Police to examine procedures for the review of arrest reports. Governor Baker recognizes the motivation to protect those with substance use disorders from potentially embarrassing information contained in their public records and expects the courts to hold the defendant accountable for all charges stemming from this incident.” – Lizzy Guyton, communications director