NHTSA offers grants to law enforcement agencies for DUI enforcement. The grant pays troopers to work DUI enforcement on their off days. Such an arrangement has several benefits. The troopers have an opportunity to earn more money. The Mississippi Highway Patrol gets to put more troopers in the field to arrest drunk drivers at no extra cost.
The troopers in question were allegedly writing fake tickets to turn in with their grant paperwork but were not submitting the tickets to Justice Court or taking anyone to jail. The feds found discrepancies and investigated. DPS conducted its own investigation and charged the five troopers. It should be noted that these troopers were a pack made up of former MHP Colonel Don Berry's pets.
MHP sources say a disciplinary hearing has been scheduled in several weeks. However, the hearing will be conducted by an administrative law judge instead of the usual board comprised of troopers. A Mississippi Department of Public Safety representative declined to comment. The representative said the department would not confirm nor deny the existence of any such investigation.
This is not the first time the Mississippi Department of Public Safety has faced problems using the federal DUI enforcement grants. JJ reported in January 2014:
Stay tuned.
The U.S. Inspector General slammed the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for misspending $7.1 million in safety grants from 2007 to 2010 in a little-noticed report issued in February 2013. Funds intended to be used for DUI programs were instead used to support other activities in violation of federal law. The abuse was so bad that the IG said only 5% of the citations issued under the program were for DUI offenses. ... Earlier post with copy of IG report.
52 comments:
It is one thing after another with DPS these days! It's time to get past the political taboo - everyone is too afraid to admit that there can be problems with law enforcement!
Will these troopers loose there job; or get a slap on the hand?????
Just remember folks; "THERE IS NO LAW WHEN THE LAW BREAKS THE LAW!!!!"
It begins with the atmosphere created by those in command.
They aren't going to "loose" anything, JPS grad @ 10:26.
These troopers should be given their hearing and then terminated; then prosecuted, hopefully, by the feds. Wonder if the state's contributions to their pensions could be forfeited if convicted? A hard example needs to be made!
10:33 AM
Coward.
Hmmm - NHTSA Grant, so each ticket and each associated time sheet should be/could be construed as defrauding the federal government, and each of the supervisors who signed/approved the time sheets could also be investigated for submitting false claims. Way to go MHP, first it was screwing informants, then co-workers and subordinates, then truckers, now its screwing Uncle Sam.
So will these troopers lose their jobs, be prosecuted, pay back the overtime and make the state whole again, or will this follow the usual profile - MHP f*&^%ks up with impunity and puts the taxpayer on the hook to pay back all that grant money?
The MHP is a JOKE! Governor Bryant, grow a set and FIX THIS PROBLEM!
Until the legislature changes the law, crooks do not lose their pension (PERS) when terminated, or even the state's contribution to it.
Legislature should act on this at the next session. Too many folks taking the Dickie Scruggs walk - spend a little time in prison but come back to your ill-gained fortune.
Bet this won't get swept under the rug like MBN's steroid trafficking case they were building until they figured out how many troopers were selling them.
@10:33
Not only "loose" but also "there."
11:11 - didn't you mean "loose" their pensions?
MHP, steroids ... surely you jest! Maybe 75 years was a good run for the troopers, and it's time to turn the page and consider a new organization. Thanks Albert for finishing off what was already in its death spiral.
If troopers will make up false dui's out of thin air why is that everyone believes you are guilty the second you are arrested for a dui even though you dispute being under the influence of any intoxicating beverage or substance? Every jurisdiction has its own "DUI cop(s)" that are just looking for numbers of arrest. Crooked f-ers.
One thing I've learned in all my years of dealing with the highway patrol is that if there's a an extra buck, a free meal or piece of ass (male or female) to be had, they are on it like white on rice.
Fire them!! Don't just slap them on the hand!!
We don't need their type in Law Enforcement!!!
Make them pay the money back!!
Prosecute them!!!
A steroid bust by state or local law enforcement agencies?
That's funny.
If they would do this, then every ticket they write becomes a questionable act. If found guilty, they have to be terminated. They possibly got paid and did not work to earn it. They should have to pay that money back. Also, they should face criminal charges.
2:24, MHP is not law enforcement, they exist solely to generate revenue via citations under the guise of safety, and it seems they can't even do that without breaking stupid. I'm with 12:26, it's time to start over and put some professionals on the road.
Lack of integrity. Once again a sad day for law enforcement and I'm in the law enforcement community. If you lack integrity you shouldn't be in law enforcement . PERIOD
MHP keeps whining about money for a patrol school, after they pay back this $7 Million, that's going to be a hard sale to lawmakers. After reading this I have even less confidence in that organization. You just gotta wonder, are grant screw-ups and lawsuit payouts line items in the DPS budget, because this shit seems to happen every year.
Fire them and their supervisors.
This is inexcusable.
So let's assume,for arguments sake, that all or most of these "Bogus DUI Tickets" were written in the same geographical area. Now, if you don't think that would affect your auto insurance premium by living in the same geographical area as a bunch of (Bogus)drunk drivers operating around you, then you are a damn fool. Furthermore, I implore The Kingfish to investigate the "Click it or Ticket" program. Should you get caught, the State Law defines the penalty as a single $25 fine to the driver only. No extra fees. Period. Get caught in Brandon, it's $25 as per the law. Get caught in Pearl and its $75 or more. Flowood? You would be astonished. They've got a whole menu to choose from. Get on it Fish.
Hey, let's also blame Obama while we're at for this scandal as well...
Crappy logo.
This paper work was submitted by mail to the Feds for reimbursement. 10k fine per act and 5 or so years in jai per act in a fed installation? Does that sound about right?
Corruption, coruption everywhere and I got blessed with a conscience. Why does everyone else get to have fun and I dont?
Clearly 12:54 has a problem with brown rice. Racist. You know it's healthier, right?
And some people think brnging for-profit entities into the law enforcement equation is a good idea. The is just the tip of the iceberg compared to letting big corporations write tickets and pay commissions.
99% of Scruggs fortune was legit Mr Sanders
That is what Dickie wants you to believe.
I read the book.
Is it believable that any trooper is not on steroids? About one in a million men have the Charles Atlas gene, but 100% of the MHP seem to have it. I've seen them work out in the gym, and a couple of sets of 10 in front of the mirror just does not make muscles bulge out of your skull. What's their trick?
This isn't the first time troopers have done this type of thing. Several years back it was reported that they would write dead people, using their name and date of birth from their tomb stones during call backs details.
It's time for this agency to disappear and for a real state police agency to take it's place.
How about names and places
See also: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ms-supreme-court/1552487.html
According to information provided to this blog post responder, Delaney is still an active Miss. Hwy. Safety Patrol trooper.
What happened to Head of Sdministrative services who was fired? Gail Mills I think her name was?
Paul Gallo rants about government waste and abuse by other agencies won't say a word because of all the ad dollars he gets.
4:56. Sorry you think it's a crappy logo. Kinda seems fitting to make it look like Wells Fargo given the circumstances.
The Troopers involved were a part of Donnell Berry's, Golden Children. Three of them have already been in a ton of trouble with the patrol, but managed to keep their jobs and positions, because Berry protected them. Two of them should've been fired a long time ago. Hopefully whoever hears the case does what's right and gets these thugs off the patrol.
When you take performance enhancing drugs and certain other chemicals and work out regularly, your balls draw up and your pecker diminishes in size. I heard that straight from an MD who specializes in such stuff as sperm count and motility.
Couple that with short shirt-sleeves that restrict the flow of blood to the arms and brain and you have a zombie out there writing tickets wishing he could get-it-up.
Please enter my theory in the contest, thanks...
"The Mississippi Highway Patrol gets to put more troopers in the field to arrest drunk drivers at no extra cost."
Where exactly do you think NHTSA funding comes from in the first place? NHTSA's annual budget is over one TRILLION taxpayer dollars.
Also, why isn't a federal inspector general looking into this fraud involving federal funds?
Crooked bastards. Should be arrested, charged, and sent to prison.
These guys should repay my tax dollars back to the Feds with interest. Then be disciplined, demoted, or fired.
8:26 - right on! People forget where "federal" dollars come from, this program is conducted at no cost to the state, it shifts the expense to the taxpayer at the federal level. Just like all that free homeland security, emergency management and food stamp money.
Thanks mhp for screwing us again - now we're going to have to pay it twice!
Most traffic enforcement has almost nothing to do with the public safety and almost everything to do with money - whether, as in this case, putting in an officer's pocket or, more commonly, putting it in the revenue stream for the state or municipality.
Are these the same five troopers that were double dipping and collecting both federal funds and state pay to participate in active shooter training? Whatever happened to those troopers? With so many DPS stories in the jambalaya, I cant recall if Kingfish covered this one or not. Is this the same old Pack or a different pack?
Same old Pack. Or at least part of it.
think about all the troopers that take up of all the office space supervising civilian employees that can and should be out on the road.
Who has the contract for MHP uniforms and the car fleet? There's where millions go.
Is it the same pack or part of the pack that cheated on their tests?
There must be a lot of crooked MHP.
You can look for this same behavior to be exposed soon over at MDWFP. Both agencies were mandated to increase to (some said) 40% minority uniformed officers. Are there dots to be connected? I don't know. But, how many of the offenders are 'officers of color'?
@ Behind The Billboard...And you have the nerve to call me colored!
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