By Jonathan Saltzman
Boston Globe
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BOSTON — Hours after Boston police officer Roberto Pulido abruptly ended his federal cocaine trafficking trial by pleading guilty today, Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis vowed to investigate other allegations of corruption that emerged during two days of testimony.
“There certainly was information that came out during the course of the trial that we have to review,’' Davis told reporters after giving a pep talk at the evening roll call of the motorcycle unit to which Pulido had belonged. He also posted a message to officers on the department’s website. “There will be a thorough investigation.’'
Davis, who became commissioner 11 months ago, declined to give specifics. But he was apparently referring to testimony by an FBI agent that Pulido told an informant that a sergeant ran gambling parties and that a patrol officer held illegal after-hours parties that competed with those Pulido protected.
A former Boston police officer and another who was later indicted in connection with the Pulido case were also heard in secretly recorded phone conversations with Pulido discussing buying steroids from him.
Davis said the department already knew about the allegations and were looking into them. He said he took the accusations seriously but that they were “not anywhere near the magnitude that Pulido was involved in, so we just have to quickly and effectively finish this investigation.’' He gave no timetable.
Addressing the approximately 30 officers of the Mobil Operations Patrol Unit on Warrent Street, Davis said the Boston police anticorruption unit worked with the FBI in the investigation of Pulido and two fellow officers who pleaded guilty to avoid trials. The Boston police, he said, would take the lead in rooting out any additional corruption.
“We’re going to make sure we clean up our own shop,’' he said. “It’s necessary to pay attention to the human frailty, the kind we saw in Pulido. This does not define the Boston Police Department.’'
Copyright 2007 The Boston Globe