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HOUR. ED: JOHN, THANK YOU. 5 INVESTIGATES DIGGING INTO THE POLITICS AND LEGISLATION AT PLAY IN THE CONTROVERSIAL HIRING OF A POTENTIAL POLICE RECRUIT BEFORE DOZENS OF CIVILIANS AND MANY VETERANS. OUR KATHY CURRAN RAISING SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS BEING USED TO MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN. KATH KATHY: ED, IT’S A PERK THAT ALLOWS THAT POLICE CANDIDATE TO JUMP AHEAD ON THE CIVIL SERVICE ELIGIBILITY LIST. THE QUESTIONS IN THIS CASE CENTER AROUND A CAR ACCIDENT IN 2010 INVOLVING HIS FATHER WHO WAS A POLICE SERGEANT AND WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THAT DAY. JOHN RYAN WORE THE UNIFORM OF THE QUINCY POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, RETIRING AS A SERGEANT AFTER A DISABILITY ON A CAR ACCIDENT. NOW HIS SON JOHN WANTS TO FOLLOW IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS. TO LAND THAT JOB, IT REQUIRED A PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT ALLOWS THE YOUNGER RYAN TO QUICKLY MOVE UP THE POLICE CIVIL SERVICE LIST , PUTTING HIM IN LINE FOR A JOB BEFORE MOST OTHER CANDIDATES, INCLUDING VETERANS. HERE IS THE SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE ACT MAKING IT HAPPEN, INTRODUCED BY THE QUINCY MAYOR. IT ALLOWS JOHN RYAN TO MOVE UP THE ELIGIBILITY LIST BECAUSE HIS FATHER WAS INJURED BY AN ASSAULT ON HIS PERSON. BUT RECORDS OBTAINED BY FIVE INVESTIGATES RAISE SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. THERE WAS NO THIRD-PARTY ASSAULTING THE OFFICER. KATHY: GEORGE PRICE REVIEW THE CASE FOR 5 INVESTIGATES. >> IT LOOKS LIKE A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT PERHAPS INVOLVING THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE OFFICER. KATHY: THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED ON VETERANS DAY, 2010. HE WAS IN HIS PERSONAL CAR. HE WAS ON HIS WAY TO A PARADE IN UNIFORM WHEN H CRASHED, HITTING HIS HEAD ON THE WINDSHIELD OF HIS CAR. HE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS DRIVING RECORD, HE WAS AT FAULT. THE WORK INJURY SAYS HE WAS GOING BACK TO THE DETAIL AFTER A COFFEE BREAK, BUT REMEMBER, THE LOSSES HE WAS INJURED BY AN ASSAULT HIS PERSON. IN 2012, TWO YEARS AFTER THE ACCIDENT, WHEN RYAN IS TRYING TO RETIRE ON A DISABILITY, THERE’S A WHOLE NEW NARRATIVE AND THE INTERNAL COMPUTERIZED REDDER -- RECORDS ARE MODIFIED. THERE’S NO MORE MENTION OF THE COFFEE OR THE PARADE DETAIL. THE CITY TURNED TO SOLICITOR JAMES TIMMONS. >> HE WAS TAKEN FROM THE SCENE WITHOUT ANYONE TALKING TO HIM. I THINK A LITTLE BIT OF CONFUSION DID ENSUE. KATHY: THOSE CHANGES TO RECORDS WERE MADE BY THE CITY’S I.T. GUY. NOW IT SAYS THAT RYAN WAS RETURNING TO THE NATIONAL GRID DETAIL AND THE SERGEANT WAS TRYING TO SIGN A DEFAULT WARRANT TO A GUY WHO DID NOT ARRIVE IN COURT ON MINOR ASSAULT CHARGES. IN THE RECORD IT SAYS THAT HE WAS ABOUT TO CONFRONT THE MAN AND CRASHED. SITTING HERE, DO YOU KNOW WHICH STORY IT IS? >> NO, I DON’T KNOW IN THAT SOMETHING WE’RE GOING TO FOLLOW UP ON. >> WE WANT THE SYSTEM TO WORK THE WAY IT SHOULD WORK. SOMEONE TOOK THE EXAM AND THEY PUT THEMSELVES THROU SCHOOL AND I KNOW I GET THE JOB BECAUSE SOMEONE JUMP THE LINE. >> HE AND HIS FAMILY WERE VERY HIGHLY REGARDED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. KATH DO YOU BELIEVE HE IS BEING TREATED DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF HIS TIES IN QUINCY? >> I WOULD HOPE HE IS NOT. KATHY: THE STATE RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS E

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John Ryan wore the uniform of the Quincy Police Department for more than 30 years before retiring as a sergeant on disability after a car accident. Now his 41-year-old son, John Patrick Ryan, who works as a bar manager, wants to follow in his father's footsteps. 5 Investigates discovered that to land that job, the Ryans turned to a piece of legislation that allows the younger Ryan to quickly move up the police civil service list -- to No. 21 out of 1,147 -- putting him in line for a job before most other candidates, including veterans. The legislation to make that happen started in Quincy City Hall, where Mayor Thomas Koch and the City Council approved a measure asking the Legislature to pass what's known as a home rule petition.But the city's measure asks for the younger Ryan to be moved up on the eligibility list because his father was injured by an "assault on his person" while in the performance of his duties -- language adopted by the Legislature in the bill that was ultimately passed and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in January 2018.But records obtained by 5 Investigates raise serious questions about the benefit. The accident happened on Veteran's Day 2010. Sgt. Ryan was in his personal car. Department records initially said he was on his way to a Veteran's Day parade detail in uniform when he crashed, hitting his head on the windshield of his car. He was seriously injured, and according to motor vehicle records he was found at fault.A work injury form says the sergeant was going back to a detail after a coffee break. But in 2012, two years after the accident, when Ryan was trying to retire on a disability, there was a whole new narrative, and the department's internal computerized records were even modified. There's no mention of that coffee or the parade detail.The narrative in the Quincy police records, its Computer Aided Dispatch notes was modified in October 2012 to say that Ryan was returning to a National Grid detail. Another notation says the sergeant was trying to serve a default warrant on a man. Those changes in the department's internal system happened after the state rejected Ryan's disability retirement but that retirement was ultimately approved. Ryan said he didn't fill out the work injury form that said he was on a coffee break and said someone filled it out on his behalf. 5 Investigates researched the warrant and found it was a default warrant, issued for not showing up for a court date, for a man facing charges of driving an unregistered car with a suspended license.In a separate letter, Ryan said that while he was driving he made eye contact with the wanted man and crashed while he was about to confront him."Based on my view there was no third party that was assaulting the officer," said George Price, an attorney and former federal agent who reviewed the records for 5 Investigates. "It looks like a motor vehicle accident involving perhaps the negligence of the officer, no third party causing injury to the officer."Rep. Ronald Mariano, the Quincy representative who filed the bill, told 5 Investigates he doesn't have the resources to investigate home rule petitions. Instead he relies on the city to vet requests to file legislation.Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan and Koch declined requests for interviews, but City Solicitor James Timmins sat down with 5 Investigates."Do you know which story it is?" Curran asked Quincy city solicitor James Timmins."No, I don't know," Timmins replied. "And that's something we're going to follow up on.""He was taken away from the scene without anyone talking to him and from that point forward, I think a little bit of confusion did ensue," Timmins said.Timmins added: "We're doing nothing more than applying the list.... It might seem a little bit difficult for a veteran to accept what's gone on here. That's the way the civil service process works."A state law already gives civil service priority to the sons and daughters of police officers who are totally disabled in the line of duty. Ryan tried that, but it requires 100 percent disability, which he does not have. Only three people have been approved to use this benefit since 2013."I don't know Sergeant Ryan, but I know that he and his family are lifelong Quincy residents who are very highly regarded, and that Sergeant Ryan was highly regarded within the department," he said."Do you believe he's being treated differently because of his ties here in Quincy?" 5 Investigates' Kathy Curran asked." Well, I would hope he's not. And I don't believe he is," Timmins replied.Price, the policing expert, said, "People want the system to work the way it should work and fairly for everyone...especially for some young person who wants to be a police officer and did everything right, and now may not get a job because of someone else trying to jump the line."