I don't think this is a dupe.

"Wayne Jeffrey, a seven-year veteran of the Fall River force, was fired May 29 after an internal investigation, prompted by an unsigned letter that claimed he smoked tobacco at a party."

Unsigned letter?

Don't like a local cop? Just send an unsigned letter and get him/her fired.

Don't like a local cop? Just send an unsigned letter and get him/her fired.

I have a better one. Don't like someone, just send in an anonymous tip that someone has dope in their house and have them arrested and their property siezed.

Obviously, he has pissed people off and has enemies on the force. You don't get fired over something like this out of the blue. Somebody in his chain of command has it in for him. Why? Who knows.

''The law wasn't passed for people to use it against one another,'' Correia said.

Then, why was it passed at all?

Un-Frikin-Believable!!

That ain't right. And cops that smoke are more often than not, the cool cops that are the most reasonable. They'll give a break when it's right, and also nail a guy when it's the right thing to do.

The reason that this so called "heart and lung" law was passed, is that in Massachusetts if a Police Officer or Firefighter gets Heart disease or Cancer the presumption is that the job had something to do with it, and they are eligible to go out on a disability retirement of 80% of their salary with no state taxes taken out (I think they have to still pay federal taxes but I could be wrong). Cops and Firefighters are EXPRESSLY told when hired (and may actually have to sign a contract to that effect) that they cannot smoke on or off the job.

I am not saying I agree with the law and the way it is enforced, but this cop and all recent hires in Police and Fire Departments in Mass are WELL AWARE of the law and it's ramifications. If they didn't want to abide by it, they did not have to accept the job.

Somebody in his chain of command has it in for him.

Apparently it's not a chainsmoking command.

A law that prevents a cop from doing something currently legal when he's OFF-DUTY? Seems to me the essence of the law, as stupid as it is to begin with, was purposely misconstrued in order to "get" this police officer.

"...violating an obscure state law banning smoking among public safety workers..."

Were there public safety personnel at the party? If so, were they "working" as in public safety "workers?" A game of semantics.

Note that the officer is not claiming that he wasn't breaking the terms of his contract; rather, he objects to the way he was smoked out. So to speak.

A police internal investigation determined that the officer had in fact been smoking. I would guess that either a "pee in the cup and send it to the lab" test revealed his guilt -- or, perhaps he refused to provide the evidence.

The article references "...an obscure state law banning smoking among public safety workers..." Obscure? I doubt that. Seems pretty cut-and-dried to me.

Now, if he was fired based solely on an anonymous tip, and was not given the opportunity to chemically prove his innocence, then he has a beef. And if the Police Department made its decision based on one tip with no collaberating evidence, then I'd also say he has a complaint. But his public reaction does not lead me to believe that such is the case.

Without the law, proponents argue, doctors are unable to determine if a heart or lung illness is work related.

Hmmm...guess they need a law about doughnuts and McDonalds too, then.

I'm willing to bet that if Officer Jeffrey had buggered his buddy in the bunghole at the party instead of lighting up a cigarette, he would still be employed. Socialist fascism is alive and well in Taxachusetts.

ping

What , do we expect people in this country to have that kind of choice?

Wayne Jeffrey, a seven-year veteran of the Fall River force, was fired May 29 after an internal investigation, prompted by an unsigned letter that claimed he smoked tobacco at a party.

Sheesh. Just what has this country become? /shudder

The Onion..Right??

...this cop and all recent hires in Police and Fire Departments in Mass are WELL AWARE of the law and it's ramifications. If they didn't want to abide by it, they did not have to accept the job.

They should be allowed to sign a waiver, releasing the state from all obligation if heart or lung problems occur.

"The Onion..Right??"

Doesn't it get scary when we can't tell the difference anymore?

This is in no way an "obscure" law. I think it went into effect in most cities in towns in the late 1980's and people who took Civil Service exams to become Police or Firefighters since the law went into effect, do know about the law. I think legislators heard from too many mayors and town managers of too many grossly overweight and heavy smoking Police and Firefighters who were retiring on 80% disability pensions in their late 30's and early 40's with diseases like Heart disease and empyhsema/chronic bronchitis, and that they felt they had to do something.

There was a minor furor when the law went into effect, but it wasn't that big. You generally do not see that many morbidly obese cops in Massachusetts anymore (at least like you did in the 70's and 80's), but you will still see cops and firefighters smoking...the ones already on the force before the law went into effect can still smoke, as I believe it only applied to hires after the law became effective.

They should be allowed to sign a waiver, releasing the state from all obligation if heart or lung problems occur.

Their Police and Firefighter Representatives would convince them to never do that. Unless the law gets changed, there will never be any provision for a waiver.