[CT] "Retired" (criminal) Lt. Blanchette's pension APPROVED (or else)

...In the settlement, Blanchette, 43, was declared retired as of April 25, one day after his 20th anniversary with the department. He was demoted to a patrol officer and given a 40-day unpaid suspension...

Previous posts:

• [CT] DV charges erased, Lt. Blanchette moved on to other crimes - Riddle: Keep a cop that breaks the law and what do you get? It's crazy that this officer is getting the package he is, after his heroin-related escapades, ESPECIALLY (WATCH THIS) BECAUSE he has threatened that if he DOESN'T get the golden egg he is going to SING on what he knows about the department. He THREATENS, and then GETS the respected exit of retirement?...
• [CT] Norwich Police Lt. Blanchette allowed the respectability of "RETIREMENT"?- In the OUTRAGEOUS RESOLUTION of Norwich Police Lt. Michael R. Blanchette's heroin-connected scandal - AN OFFENSIVE-TO-ALL "RETIREMENT" WITH PENSION - only one of the two recent articles BOTHERS to mention Lt. Blanchette's prior domestic case in a short blurb - at the end: ...In 2004, Blanchette was arrested on domestic charges related to allegations he was harassing his estranged wife. The charges were later dismissed when he agreed to go to counseling...In 2004 it wasn't just a domestic "harassment" incident as the recent article says... Please see the article excerpts that I have included from 2004 that follow (below) these recent news excerpts.

FORMER OFFICER'S PENSION APPROVED
Blanchette's eligibility OK'd as stipulated in retirement agreement
The Day, CT
By Claire Bessette
Published on 6/17/2009
Norwich - The city Personnel and Pension Board did not want to see the settlement agreement between the city and former police Lt. Michael Blanchette before deciding that Blanchette qualified for a regular retirement pension - as stated in the agreement. Blanchette and city and police officials reached the settlement in May after Police Chief Louis Fusaro initially sent Blanchette a termination notice in March. The letter and subsequent settlement followed a lengthy investigation into Blanchette's connection with known drug dealers and users in the region. In the settlement, Blanchette, 43, was declared retired as of April 25, one day after his 20th anniversary with the department. He was demoted to a patrol officer and given a 40-day unpaid suspension. City pension staff had planned to hand out the agreement at the start of Tuesday's discussion on Blanchette's retirement application, but Chairman Paul Shroder immediately proposed a motion that the board not review or discuss the settlement. Shroder argued that the pension board should review Blanchette's eligibility on its own merits, regardless of the city's actions. He said he did not want the board to be liable for any conditions in the agreement. A few minutes later, the board unanimously approved Blanchette's retirement on condition that he pay back the $13,097 he owed to his pension while he was on workers' compensation leave. Blanchette has been on medical leave since January 2007 following knee-replacement surgery. The settlement contained the same provision, along with a requirement that Blanchette forfeit the remaining $12,001 from what would have been a lump sum distribution for unpaid sick and vacation time to cover his 40-day suspension... In the police union contract, officers are eligible for regular retirement after 20 years of service regardless of how they leave the department. The pension contract contains no language for a scenario of a 20-year veteran being terminated for disciplinary reasons... Michael Blanchette was found in possession of a cut-off straw with heroin residue. He later pleaded guilty in New York court to a disorderly conduct charge and paid a $100 fine... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence law enforcement connecticut brass cop]