May 14, 1986 to Jan. 12, 1997 (retired January 15, 1999)
Position Held:
Corrections Officer
Duration of Employment:
About 10 years (actually only ‘worked’ through 01/12/97)*
Reason for Leaving:
Alleged work related disability
* POND BOASTS “17 YEARS OF CORRECTIONS EXPERIENCE”
BUT IS IT TRUE? ~ NOT NEARLY!
Throughout his campaign for Sheriff, Richard Pond has publicly bragged about his alleged seventeen (17) years of experience as a correction officer.
On Pond’s own website pondforsheriff.com the very first sentence on his ‘Home’ page touts his “17 years of corrections experience.” In fact, however,
Pond never served anywhere near seventeen years as a correction officer ‘behind the walls’ and ‘working the floor.’ Pond was hired by the Suffolk
County Sheriff’s Department and began work as a correction officer on Wednesday, May 14, 1986. He went out on a temporary workers’ compensation disability
claim for approximately a year and a half between 1995 and 1996, and subsequently went out on a permanent disability on Sunday, January 12th 1997, never to
return to work in any capacity, ever again. Therefore, under any calculation, Rick Pond could only have actually worked ‘behind the walls and on the floor’
as a correction officer for ten years and eight months. Furthermore, taking into account his approximate eighteen (18) month temporary disability (out of
work, at home) between 1995 and 1996, his actual time ‘working the floor’ as a correction officer was just over nine (9+) years. Just a mere forty-five (45+)
percent exaggeration of his experience, on the job! The press should request that Pond ‘release’ his personnel file from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s
Department in order to more accurately calculate the scope of this serious misstatement of fact by Rick Pond. (see Suffolk County Superior Court civil action
of Richard Pond v. Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, civil docket number 03-4137 filed on August 27, 2003).
RICK POND’S NEXT BIG PENSION SCAM:
While collecting workers’ compensation benefits from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Richard Pond filed a child support ‘financial statement’
(short form) with the Suffolk County Probate and Family Court on July 7, 1998 claiming “gross yearly income from prior year” (1997) at fifty two thousand ($52,000.00)
dollars, though he still owed thousands of dollars in outstanding child support arrears. Upon retirement in 1999 his monthly benefit was significantly reduced. According
to the Boston Herald’s on-line public employee (Boston) retiree database, Richard Pond presently makes thirty six thousand six hundred and ninety six 60/100 ($36,696.60)
dollars annually in retirement benefits. (see Exhibit ‘Y’ & Exhibit ‘Z’)
Richard Pond claims to seek the office of Sheriff of Plymouth County in order to “restore honor and integrity to that office.” We know that can not be the
case because Richard Pond lacks even a modicum of honor and integrity. The true reason behind Rick Ponds candidacy is to pull-off the next big public pension scam in state history.
If elected, Pond would bump-up his maximum salary basis so that after just three years of service, he could nearly double his annual pension.
Remember the “Poster Boy for Pension Reform, Good-Time Charlie Lincoln” the Brockton Police Lieutenant who also allegedly worked a second, full time job
as Director of Security at the Sheriff’s Department under former Sheriff, Joseph McDonough (2000-2005)? Lincoln worked just three years at the Sheriff’s Department in order to
boost his maximum salary basis to double his pension from approximately $70k to roughly $140k, annually! Lincoln’s infamous pension scam, though technically not illegal, created
a public outcry for comprehensive pension reform across the state.
Likewise, in the present case, if elected, Richard Pond, who ‘claims’ seventeen (17) years of credible service with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department
(in a Group 4* law enforcement position), could boost his maximum salary basis in order to facilitate the near doubling of his annual pension after just three years of actual
service as Sheriff!
* see Massachusetts General Laws chapter 32, section 3(2)(xiv)(g) et seq.