The town of Belmont (Mass.) has suspended five dispatchers and a police officer over allegations revealed earlier this year that they falsified their EMT recertification records. The town employees are among 200 dispatchers in the state who claimed to have taken EMT refresher courses since 2006, but who did not. Dispatchers Thomas O’Brien, Michael Tortola, Daniel Walsh and Christopher Murphy, along with supervisor Ed Pendergast received unpaid suspensions of 30 to 45 days. They must also pay back the extra pay they received from the town for being an EMT. Town officials say the suspensions will be scheduled so comm center coverage is still maintained. One dispatcher has already taken the state-required refresher course, and the others are arranging to take them. Police chief Richard McLaughlin said each dispatcher admitted their misconduct and accepted the punishment. “Our goal was to complete the process and get it behind us, so we can all move forward,” he said. Read more here.
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