A 2020 report from Massachusetts' Office of the Inspector General found former Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon was being paid more than leaders of police.
Methuen Police Chief Joseph E. Solomon. (Courtesy photograph.)
Methuen Police Chief Joseph E. Solomon, who has announced plans to retire as Methuen’s police chief, called accusations made against him by the state’s inspector general as “blatantly false.”
Solomon, in a letter dated last Friday to Methuen Mayor Neil Perry said Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha’s office “never interviewed” him or gave the chief the “most basic common courtesy to respond to accusations.”
“The impact that another long, drawn-out fight would have on the city, the department, and on my family is something I believe should be avoided at all costs,” Solomon said, appearing to reference his previous battles with the city.
Updated on December 23, 2020 at 11:50 pm
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Methuen s police chief is on leave after a scathing report from Massachusetts officials investigating his salary and those of other high-ranking officers.
Mayor Neil Perry said Friday that Chief Joseph Solomon and Capt. Greg Gallant have been placed on paid administrative leave.
The report from Inspector General Glenn Cunha, Leadership Failures in Methuen Police Contracts, found that former Mayor Stephen Zanni and the city council likely violated state laws and did not comply with Methuen s rules when Solomon s contract was negotiated. As a result of this continued investigation, the OIG found a failure of leadership at all levels, Cunha s report noted.
Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon placed on leave after state inspector general report says he aided in inflating police salaries
Updated Dec 24, 2020;
Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon was placed on administrative leave Wednesday after a state inspector general report said he looked the other way when unapproved language was inserted into contracts making him one of the highest paid chiefs in the country.
According to the report, Solomon’s salary was higher than police commissioners in Boston, New York CIty and Los Angeles.
The 153-page scathing report by Inspector General Glenn A. Cunha not only takes aim at Solomon, but former Mayor Stephen Zanni and the president of the superiors’ union, Captain Gregory Gallant.