Oct 8, 2008 1:07 pm US/Eastern
Cops Could Be Cited For Flagger Protest
WOBURN (WBZ) ―
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Officers from several towns protested Tuesday, the first day civilian flaggers were used at some road construction sites in Massachusetts.
WBZ
Woburn's mayor said he's going to look at some video to determine if any police officers will be cited interfering with civilian flaggers at a work site.
Officers from several towns
protested Tuesday, the first day civilian flaggers were used at some road construction sites in Massachusetts.
About 50 off-duty officers disrupted the work of a road crew clearing catch basins in Woburn. On-duty police officers and the chief were called in to restore order.
Some of the protestors interfered with the flaggers and slowed down traffic. At one point Mass Highway stopped doing work for safety reasons.
"I think at the beginning I think that there was some excessive closeness to the workers," Woburn Mayor Thomas McLaughlin told WBZ.
McLaughlin was a State Trooper for more than 30 years. He said most officers acted appropriately. Those who crossed the line may still face citations.
"We didn't do any issuance on the scene, but there is some videotape that was taken and I'm going to make sure that I see those videotapes, just in case there were any infractions, and if there are any infractions then I want these people cited accordingly."
McLaughlin will meet with the police chief Wednesday afternoon to go over the video.
WBZ video showed at least one protesting police officer following a flagman into the street in front of an oncoming vehicle.
State highway commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky said the protesters parked on a state highway and entered a posted work zone, both of which are illegal. One off-duty officer also drove down the street against the flow of traffic, saying he had been misdirected by a flagger.
Mass Highway said civilian flaggers worked at several sites around the state Wednesday without incident.
Under the rules issued by the Patrick administration, the flaggers can be posted in lieu of police officers at certain work sites, although police would likely remain on roads with higher speed limits.
Flaggers are paid $15-$26 per hour, while police officers receive $30-$42 per hour.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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