Retiring statie head may collect $188G pension
Retiring state police Col. Richard McKeon could collect a $188,000-ayear pension after he calls it quits Friday, all while facing scathing criticism for ordering state troopers to delete embarrassing details from the arrest report of a judge’s daughter.
McKeon, 62, had not filed paperwork as of yesterday with the state Retirement Board. But state police officers with more than 25 years of service are entitled to up to 75 percent of their final year’s pay. McKeon, with the state police since 1982, now makes $251,000 a year.
Two state troopers have filed federal lawsuits naming McKeon and others after being ordered to scrub embarrassing remarks from the drug and OUI arrest report of Alli Bibaud, 30, the daughter of Dudley District Court Judge Timothy Bibaud. Attorney General Maura Healey has said she’s reviewing the allegations.
McKeon’s quick exit amid a review, with the potential of a full pension, has irked the rank-and-file, State Police Association of Massachusetts president Dana Pullman said. “If (a trooper) wanted to leave out the back door, you’d have to pay for it. You’d be giving back time and you’d get a general discharge. Our members are irate about this. That would never be afforded one of our guys.”
State retirees can be stripped of pensions only if convicted of crimes directly linked to their job. But it’s unclear what direction Healey’s review could take.
“That’s up to the attorney general for the most part,” said Greg Sullivan, a former state inspector general now at the Pioneer Institute. “But this story struck a nerve with a lot of people because the average person is not going to get that break.”
McKeon’s spokesman declined to comment on the pension issue.
When arrested last month, Alli Bibaud was free on personal recognizance awaiting a Dec. 21 arraignment on charges of heroin possession and failure to wear a seat belt from a May traffic stop in Shrewsbury. The police report indicates the officer saw her trying to conceal a hypodermic needle, then found a stash of drugs. The court file does not include any embarrassing remarks or any sign that remarks were redacted. But the arrest report lists her father’s name simply as “Tim.” Her lawyers did not respond to multiple requests for comment.