Kenneth Jameson This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Boston Globe Online / Metro | Region / 2 ex-city officials being probed

   www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/109 - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/19/2003   Last Visited: 4/19/2003

   The probe is focusing on Kenneth Jameson, a police sergeant who also operated a business selling fire alarms and other safety equipment to nightclubs, and Michael Scanlon, who ran a business providing kitchen hood-cleaning services to restaurants and nightclubs.
   ...
   Jameson was already under scrutiny by the Police Department after the Globe reported complaints by nightclub owners that Jameson and several others approached them with badges and offered to help them pass inspections, for fees of $1,000 or more, after a fire at a West Warwick, R.I., club that claimed 99 lives and brought scrutiny of clubs statewide.
   
   It is unclear whether authorities are looking into any connection between Jameson and Scanlon or whether they are subjects of separate probes.
   ...
   The Globe reported last month that Jameson had been operating his company, Boston Protective Services, since 1986. The business sold and installed fire and burglar alarm systems, as well as fire safety equipment such as lighted exit signs and smoke detectors.
   
   Jameson, who is president of the Massachusetts Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, began work at the Boston Police Department in 1974 and was made a detective by 1995. Between about 1986 and 1996, he was assigned to work exclusively with the city's licensing board on nightclub inspections.
   
   As a police officer, Jameson's duties have included enforcing fire and safety codes at city nightspots. In some cases, owners said, Jameson supplied clubs where he had previously performed inspections or written citations for violations.
   
   Jameson, who is on injury leave, did not return several phone calls.

2. 2. Boston Globe Online / Metro | Region / Sergeant accused of inspection promises

   search.boston.com/dailyglobe2/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 3/22/2003   Last Visited: 3/22/2003

   Sergeant Kenneth Jameson, whom some club owners and employees said they know as a police officer who has written citations for code violations in the past, has approached them while not in uniform and said he would check over the clubs for fees of more than $1,000 so that they would pass inspections, according to club owners and managers. In some cases, they said Jameson was accompanied by three or four others. It was unclear if they were police officers.
   
   "They're going from door to door, flashing badges," said Spiro DeMakes, manager of Caprice Restaurant & Lounge at the Wyndham Tremont Boston Hotel, who said Jameson offered to inspect the bar for $1,200. DeMakes says that he and co-owner Michael Moran, who also owns several other clubs, declined the offer. "They're asking for the manager, saying they are associated with the Fire Department because they know people are touchy right now and they'll get direct access. He said, `I'm an adviser for the Fire Department. We can guarantee you'll pass the inspections.' It made me wonder, `What will happen if I say no?"'
   
   Jameson did not respond to repeated attempts to reach him by pager and cellphone, and police spokeswoman Mariellen Burns yesterday said the officer "does not wish to speak with anyone" because he is under investigation.
   
   After Globe inquiries Wednesday, Boston Fire Department officials confirmed that Jameson had approached clubs with his offer.
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   Jameson did not have that permission, a police source said. State law also dictates that officers may not "engage in, acquire or retain a financial interest in any employment or business that is licensed by the licensing board of the city of Boston," Burns said.
   
   "As soon as we were notified about this, the department launched an investigation," Burns said. "We would certainly encourage anyone with information to come forward."
   
   Meanwhile, Alan Eisner, president of the Massachusetts Hospitality Association, which counts about 100 nightclubs and taverns among its membership, said he received reports from at least two member clubs that Jameson had approached them.
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   Jameson, president of the Massachusetts chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, joined the Boston Police Department in 1974 and was made detective by 1995. That year, he was one of 19 officers commended for helping evacuate City Hall during an electrical fire. Last December, he was credited with creating the first youth job fair in West Roxbury's District 5, where he is assigned. An officer who answered the phone at the Area E station where Jameson works said yesterday that Jameson is on leave because of an injury.
   
   For about 12 years in the late '80s and early '90s, Jameson was part of a unit that wrote code violations that required owners to appear before the entertainment licensing board, a city body with the authority to shut down clubs, said Carole Brennan, spokeswoman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
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   Representaives from at least one said Jameson's alleged actions hurt the industry in general.