Turnpike Halts Police Stipend

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has halted a little known stipend that allowed police to earn an extra $40 a day for driving their own cars to and from work.

Troopers working for the Turnpike Authority individually earned, on average, $9,000 per year under the policy.

A Turnpike spokesperson says Chairman John Cogliano learned of the stipend some weeks ago. It was officially eliminated yesterday after Cogliano confirmed with staff doing so would not cause a union dispute.

Stopping the stipend is estimated to save the Authority nearly $1.4 million a year.