Lowell Sun
TYNGSBORO, Mass. — Police Officer Ronald Goulet spent almost 40 work hours over two weeks with his cruiser idle but told his superiors he was patrolling the town, according to an internal-affairs investigation that led to his resignation in January.
Police Chief William Mulligan ordered a global positioning system installed in Goulet’s cruiser in early December, following a complaint. Deputy Police Chief Richard Burrows wrote Mulligan that neighbors “stated that some mornings Officer Goulet has to scrape his windshield because it had been parked there so long (overnight).”
Data retrieved from the GPS showed that in eight days Goulet’s cruiser was parked for a total of 39 hours and 15 minutes, on average slightly less than five hours per eight-hour overnight shift.
During these same hours “the daily log indicated Officer Goulet had been checking buildings throughout the shift,” Mulligan wrote.
Confronted with the data, Goulet was placed on paid administrative leave on Dec. 26, then agreed to resign in mid-January.
The town initially refused to hand over the investigation report; such investigations are considered public documents under a 2004 court ruling. The Sun protested to the Secretary of State’s office, which forced the town to release the report.
The 47-page report includes a two-page summary from Mulligan outlining the probe and its results; radio transmission logs; daily reports monitoring where Goulet’s cruiser started and stopped, plus mileage driven each day; and a cross-reference of Goulet’s position via GPS and his radio logs.
Mulligan wrote that the inquiry began after the anonymous call received Dec. 1. The next day, Mulligan said he phoned retired Tewksbury Police Chief Al Donovan, the lead investigator for the NEMLEC Internal Affairs unit, to discuss the complaint against Goulet, who was the Tyngsboro Police Patrolman’s Union representative.
“Chief Donovan agreed that I had the right as the police chief to place a GPS unit in Officer Goulet’s cruiser in order to monitor activity during his shift,” Mulligan wrote.
The GPS device was installed by Lawrence, Mass.-based Steve’s Security & Stereo, the documents show. Goulet’s on-duty driving habits were monitored starting Dec. 9, at the beginning of his 11 p.m.-to-7 a.m. shift.
Twenty pages of the Goulet file contain detailed “stop and start activity” data produced by the GPS tracking device hidden in his cruiser. The times and addresses recorded by the GPS unit on the dates of Dec. 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22 and 23, while Goulet was on duty, show his cruiser was stationary during times when Goulet wrote in his log that he was checking businesses around town, Mulligan found.
On the first night, the GPS data showed that Goulet parked his cruiser at the end of a cul de sac on Bridle Path Way at 1:04 a.m., remaining there for 5 hours and 32 minutes. On subsequent days, data showed that Goulet parked the cruiser outside or near his home on Marla Circle for several hours.
The reports also show Goulet logged few driving miles, from 8.9 to 35.5 miles during his eight-hour shifts.
On Christmas Day, Mulligan, department managers and selectmen received a second complaint, via e-mail, that Goulet was spending extended work hours at home. Mulligan suspended Goulet with pay the next day. On Dec. 28, Goulet indicated through his lawyer that he was willing to resign as a Tyngsboro police officer, the chief reported.
In a Jan. 7 letter to the chief, Goulet wrote, “After careful consideration and discussion with my family, I have come to the decision to tender my resignation as a police officer with the town of Tyngsboro, effective Jan. 27.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to have served the people in town and the members of this department,” Goulet concluded the letter.
The investigation into those eight shifts raised several issues:
* The investigation focused solely on Goulet. This was decided by Mulligan and Donovan before the GPS was installed. The final report questions no activity by any other department employee.
* A cross-referencing of calls from dispatch showed 68 times in which Goulet was logged as “no radio,” for periods of up to five hours.
* On Dec. 10, Goulet was logged as “no phone” 11 times, and keyed his microphone three times but did not transmit.
* Six times, Tyngsboro officers are listed as responding to calls alone, including one domestic disturbance.
The Sun posed the following questions to Burrows:
* Do the “no radio/no phone” listings mean calls were placed specifically to Officer Goulet, or were they general calls to which he did not respond?
* Do Tyngsboro officers routinely respond to calls alone, or do they automatically receive backup?
* Did the actions of Officer Goulet put his fellow officers in danger?
* Do officers typically work for hours without responding to a single radio call?
* Do dispatchers/shift supervisors regularly record such instances?
* Has anyone else been disciplined in connection with this case?
* Has the department changed any policies or procedures following this case?
In response to the above list of questions, Burrows replied by e-mail: “The Tyngsboro Police department conducted a prompt and thorough investigation into this matter. As a result of the investigation, the improper conduct has been eliminated and no other employees were disciplined,” the deputy chief replied. “We have put new policies and procedures in place to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.”
Burrows responses to The Sun, however, raise concerns as to why Goulet’s shift commander(s) never questioned the officer’s whereabouts during the long stretches of silence, or referred their own concerns to department leaders.
The town agreed to pay Goulet his salary through Jan. 27, plus any money owed him for unused vacation and holiday pay and work details. Goulet was issued a final paycheck on Feb. 2 for $5,111.88, according to town Treasurer Kerry Coburn-Dion. That was the sum of Goulet’s regular paycheck, minus customary tax withholding, $1,955.40; vacation pay, $1,752.24; holiday pay, $500.64; and “other assignments” (work details), $903.60.
Goulet promised not to take any future legal action against the town. He also agreed that he “shall not make disparaging remarks about the town or its agents.” Goulet was permitted to remain a member of the town’s health-insurance group in accordance with the provisions of COBRA. His resignation “will not affect Goulet’s ability to apply for retirement” benefits, the agreement stated.
In an executive session Jan. 11, the selectmen voted unanimously to accept Goulet’s resignation and signed the separation agreement.
Selectmen Chairman Rich Lemoine told The Sun that the board opted not to fire Goulet outright in order to avoid a potentially protracted and costly legal battle with the patrolman’s union. “The sensitivity to protect the town and its residents from potential adverse litigation by adhering to signed agreements was strictly observed through this process,” said Lemoine, reading a brief statement.
Also on Jan. 11, the selectmen authorized Mulligan to hire another officer to take Goulet’s place on the department’s 21-member roster.
The town hired Robert Cote, a graduate of Dracut High School and UMass Lowell with six years of police experience, as the department’s newest full-time officer.
Copyright 2010 Lowell Sun