Feb 19, 2009 6:31 am US/Eastern
MBTA Cop Resigns Following I-Team Investigation
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Despite denying allegations that he has skipped canine training courses for years, Mark Tulipano resigned as an officer with the MBTA police.
WBZ
A three month I-Team investigation is sparking a major shake-up at the MBTA police.
An officer in the elite canine unit has resigned after it was discovered he was skipping training classes and lying about it. An internal investigation -- with allegations of fraud and abuse -- is now under way.
Chief Correspondent Joe Shortsleeve says the officer could face criminal charges and the department is rewriting its rules because of what we found.
A trained police canine attacks and then instantly backs off at the officer's command.
Another German Sheppard within seconds finds a hand gun hidden in a box.
A tracking dog in the frigid cold and snow easily finds the bad guy hiding behind the tree.
In a dangerous world these well-trained dogs keep the public safe.
Canine officers say training is critical. At Allandale Farm in Boston, Boston police conduct intense mandatory training for police canine units around the country including the MBTA Police.
Boston Police Superintendent Daniel Linskey, who oversees the training, says if the dog is not properly trained the public is "absolutely" at risk.
But one canine officer you won't find at training is 47-year-old MBTA Officer Mark Tulipano.
He is an 18 year veteran of the MBTA police force and a member of the "T's" elite canine unit.
His job, his oath, is to keep the public safe on the trains, buses, and commuter rail.
But the I-Team has learned for at least the past three years Officer Tulipano has been taking his canine training days as mini vacations.
Out of his 72 required sessions over the past 36 months when he should have been at training, MBTA police documents indicate he only went once.
We found his cruiser parked in the Newburyport commuter lot on his most recent mandatory training days -- both Fridays in January.
From there the I-Team drove to his home in Waterboro, Maine where, sure enough, one Friday we spotted his personal car outside the local public school.
We later confronted him in Newburyport.
"Officer Mark Tulipano, I am Joe Shortsleeve with WBZ-TV 4. I want to tell you about a story we are working on that concerns you. It has to do with.…why you have not taken your dog to any of the mandatory required training days."
Officer Tulipano answered, "I take my dog."
Shortsleeve continued, "Well, according to my documents you have not taken your dog in years."
At which point the uniformed officer said, "I have no comment," and he closed the door to his cruiser.
The MBTA manual states the "K-9 teams shall patrol MBTA property to prevent crime and to act as a method of target hardening against terrorism."
Mass transit systems have been prime targets -- consider
bombings at Madrid and then again in
London with multiple fatalities.
Tracking dogs like "Ceno" could be a deterrent -- but only if they are properly trained.
As a result canine officers are required to get a minimum of two full days of training each month. Officers get full pay and can schedule the sessions anytime.
Shortsleeve asked Tulipano, "Don't you think by skipping the training you are putting "T" riders at risk?"
Tulipano responded, "I have never skipped the training."
The I-Team contacted the chief of the MBTA Police.
Not only did the chief confirm Officer Tulipano was skipping critical training sessions, but the "T's" own paper work shows he was forging the signature of the Boston Police Canine Instructor.
Officer Tulipano would then file the false training reports with his superiors -- both criminal acts.
The I-team asked Chief Paul MacMillan why they didn't know this was going on.
He answered, "Well because we had a dishonest and corrupt police officer who falsified the records."
The I-team then asked if anyone has been watching over the training procedures for the past three years.
Chief MacMillan answered, "What we found during the course of this investigation is that there was a systemic failure of the process in the canine unit."
MBTA Police Officer Mark Tulipano, who earned $109,000 last year, resigned a week ago just days after the I-Team confronted him.
The MBTA canine unit now has a long list of new rules and the training will now be done in house.
Tulipano still could face criminal charges. In fact, the case been referred to the Attorney General's office for review.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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