Mike_Beaudet's Blog

Earlier this year, we reported how many police departments trade in their old guns when they get new ones. The dealers then sell the police guns, and sometimes they end up in the hands of criminals.

The Boston Police Department feels strongly about the issue and does NOT trade in any of its old guns. They destroy them, instead. They think it's a way to keep the streets safer. After we raised the issue, Governor Deval Patrick's administration said it would review the contract that allows police departments to trade in their guns. The review is over, and the governor is continuing to allow police departments to trade in their guns to dealers.

What do you think? Will criminals get guns regardless of whether the police trade them in? Or should police departments not take a chance that their old guns will be involved in a crime?

Thanks to a viewer's tip, we confirmed that one the most wanted men in world is on the state's abandoned property list. Massachusetts is holding onto to three items from mobster Whitey Bulger, including a Florida bank account with almost four thousand dollars in it.

Don't expect Whitey to file a claim anytime soon... but it's not a bad time to check if you or someone you know is on the list.

The state has abandoned property from more than seven million people valued at over one billion dollars. Here's the link to see if your name is on the list:

http://abpweb.tre.state.ma.us/abp/frmNewSrch.aspxa>

Five-year-old Darnell Cobb died back in January while riding on a school bus in Marlborough. He choked to death on a metal fastener that was part of a school project. At the time of the tragedy, it seemed like just an awful accident.

But, now FOX Undercover has obtained documents that show there were serious concerns about Darnell putting non-food items in his mouth. The records are from Rhode Island, where the boy used to live, but for some reason, not all of the records made it to Marlborough where Darnell was a kindergarten student. And there was no mention about Darnell putting objects in his mouth in his individualized education program (IEP) in Marlborough.

We tried to find out what Marlborough officials knew and what precautions they took. The school principal referred us to Mayor Nancy Stevens who would not even discuss it. So we decided to see if she'd change her mind if we showed up at her office. But Mayor Stevens still had absolutely nothing to say. Darnell Cobb's mother deserves some answers. At a minimum, she deserves some respect from a mayor who seems more concerned about a potential lawsuit than figuring out if Darnell's death could have been prevented.

Carmen "The Cheeseman" Dinunzio is out of jail while he awaits trial on a bribery charge. The government wanted him locked up, claiming he's dangerous. But the judge disagreed and released him with conditions. He's being monitored electronically and can only leave his East Boston home to go to court or his doctor.

Outside of federal court, I asked Dinunzio if people should be afraid of him. His response: No comment.

What do you think?

It sounds crazy, but it's true. Thousands of wanted criminals are getting welfare benefits in Massachusetts, cash and food stamps. Kevin Horton, the former head of the State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section is speaking out on the subject after retiring earlier this year. Here are the numbers he gave us:

*More than 4000 people wanted for felonies and misdemeanors are collecting cash assistance from the state

*More than 2500 wanted felons are receiving food stamps

The state's welfare department disputes the cash assistance numbers, insisting it does cut people off. But it admits it doesn't stop any wanted felons from receiving food stamps.

I tend to believe Kevin Horton, a guy with decades of experience on the State Police who has spent his career tracking down violent, wanted criminals.

Will Massachusetts now finally do the right thing?

Fox Undercover rode along with federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency is actively pursuing illegal immigrants in New England. It deported more than 3,000 people in New England in both 2006 and 2007, including more than 900 criminals each year. This year, there have been nearly 1600 deportations so far.

What do you think? Is ICE too aggressive, not tough enough, or doing things right?

Alcohol companies and groups like the Beer Distributors of Massachusetts have spent more than one million dollars on lobbyists on Beacon Hill in the last 3 years. They're against a bill that's languishing that would remove the sales tax exemption on liquor store alcohol sales. Most people probably don't realize they're not paying the sales tax when they go to the package store. The bill would use the sales tax money for alcohol treatment and addiction, something advocates say is desperately needed in this state.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving says for every dollar spent on addiction treatment, the state would save an average of seven dollars on the dysfunction caused by alcoholics and other addicts.

Cigarette taxes are sky high, but the other sin tax gets a pass. What do you think? Should the state remove the sales tax exemption on liquor store sales?

It's been almost a year since a man was nearly killed while driving along Route 128 in Westwood. A grate flew up into the air and smashed through the windshield of his car. Now we've learned that Mass Highway is testing a new grate that has tabs and a lock on it to secure it in place. The new grates are also heavier than the old ones. If the tests go well, the state is talking about replacing all the grates in the state... tens of thousands of them.

The state knew about problems with grates dislodging on Route 6 in Eastham before the Westwood tragedy. But only after the the incident in Westwood is the state now finally looking at changing its grates. It is also worth noting that other states, including New York, already use locking grates.

The victim in Westwood is still suffering from traumatic brain damage. Do you think the state could have prevented this tragedy?

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act was signed into law in 2006. It establishes minimum standards for sex offender registries across the country. Among other things, it requires states to post the pictures of most sex offenders online so the public can find out if a sex offender is living or working in the community.

Right now in Massachusetts, only Level 3 sex offenders, who the state classifies as a high risk to reoffend, are on the Sex Offender Registry Board's website. We obtained internal emails that reveal officials in Governor Patrick's administration and other state officials are raising questions about whether Massachusetts can or will comply with the law. They cite state constitutional concerns as a potential problem.

Some victims of sexual abuse call that an excuse and say the state is putting the rights of sex offenders ahead of public safety. What do you think?

We investigated dirty air in Boston and found extremely high levels of pollution in the Tip O'Neill Tunnel. Our test was done in the middle of the day, so you can only assume the levels would be even higher during rush hour.

We tested for ultra-fine particles with a scientist from the Clean Air Task Force. The ultra-fine particles come from diesel exhaust and are currently not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. But research has shown they can cause serious health problems like asthma attacks, cardiovascular disease, and even death.

The Turnpike Authority tells us it's concerned about the levels, but claims it can't do anything about them unless the federal government regulates the ultra-fine particles. The scientist recommends driving through the tunnel with your windows up and your air conditioning on the setting that recirculates the air.

So it's not just the Big Dig's nearly 15 billion dollar price tag that's giving you a headache...

Tonight we talk to a father who has tried to turn the tragedy of losing his little girl to cancer into something meaningful. He started Sophia's Fund at Tufts New England Medical Center where his daughter was a patient. The money goes to help families with children undergoing cancer treatment pay for day to day expenses.

But now a woman who he thought would help raise money is accused of taking it.

If you would like to learn more about Sophia’s Fund at Tufts New England Medical Center, visit sophiasfund.com.

Please make checks payable to Tufts New England Medical Center and indicate that you would like the money to go toward Sophie’s Families First Fund.

They are serving time for horrifying crimes. Charles Jaynes for the kidnapping and murder of Jeffrey Curley. Christopher Reardon for molesting two dozen boys in what has been called the biggest child sex abuse case in state history. And Peter Gagnon for raping his teenage daughter's friends and videotaping the assaults.

Now we've learned these inmates worked as assistants for the Alternatives to Violence Project at the Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater. The program tries to teach other prisoners to find non violent solutions to problems.

The state defends using inmates to help out with programs like this, while the mother of one of Reardon's victims is outraged this is happening.

What do you think?

Tune in tonight at ten for our investigation...

Tonight we're exposing the state wasting millions of your tax dollars. Remember back in 2003 when Mass Highway fought with snow and ice contractors about carrying GPS phones? The state won the battle, but it turns out the GPS system had serious hardware and software problems. For example, it often looked like people were plowing in a certain area, even when they weren't. So much for keeping track of everyone...

We discovered the state spent millions on the project before finally deciding to scale it back dramatically. Now the new Chief Engineer at Mass Highway says any future GPS projects will first start out with a pilot program. That makes sense... figure out if the equipment works in one district before you make everyone get on board. If only someone had thought of that before the state wasted all your money...

Tonight, we exposed a state program that's bringing sexual deviants on field trips to places filled with kids. The mentally ill people are patients at the Lindemann Mental Health Center in Boston. Some are convicted sex offenders. Others suffer from what the state calls problematic sexual behaviors. Recent outings include the circus, the aquarium, the swan boats and a Celtics game.

The Department of Mental Health says the patients are supervised closely. But we didn't see evidence of that at the circus outing. Check out our video. One staff member was spotted sleeping throughout the entire event. So much for the supervision the state assured us is happening.

The story of three corrupt police officers in Boston has already made headlines. But now we have obtained hours of audio and video recorded by the government which provides a disturbing look inside the scandal. Tune in at ten and hear and see for yourself.

And the scandal may not be over. Other officers are named in the tapes and are accused of criminal activity. Tuesday at ten, our series continues with a look at what's being done to weed out dirty cops in Boston.