Politics & Government

Should the Police Officer Convicted of Faking Prescriptions Keep His Pension?

The Watertown Retirement Board is considering whether to take away former Watertown Police Sgt. Joseph Deignan's pension.

Should a former police officer convicted of writing false prescriptions and using another man’s ID to do so still get a pension from the town? That is what the Watertown Retirement Board is considering.

Retired Watertown Police Sgt. Joseph Deignan pleaded guilty to the charges this month. He also was convicted of using the identification of a man who he dealt with while he was the WPD traffic advisor.

Deignan has received $55,731 in pension from the town since he retired in February 2012, according to a story in the Boston Globe. If the misdoings were related to his time as a town employee the Retirement Board can consider taking away his pension, Retirement Board attorney Thomas Gibson told the Globe.

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Gibson added that it is important to find out exactly what Deignan admitted to doing in his plea admission.

What do you think? Should the Retirement Board take Deignan’s pension away now that he has been convicted? Let us know in the comment section below.

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