Spfld residents say revoking Asher's pension is "fair"

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - With a 4 to 1 vote, the Springfield Retirement Board revoked former Springfield patrolman Jeffrey Asher's pension at a special meeting Wednesday night, and many western Massachusetts residents told 22News, they think it was a fair decision.

Wayzaro Mills of Springfield told 22News, “Even if he was a police officer and he has served, he has undone all of that by going against what his purpose was.”

Another Springfield resident Daniel Gomez said, “Police officers should know better. They are put at a higher standard in my book, to show “CPR,” courtesy, professionalism and respect. If they can't do that, they shouldn't be treated any different.”

Asher has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after he was found guilty of brutally beating Melvin Jones III during a traffic stop in 2009.

According to Massachusetts pension law, a guilty conviction means forfeiting his pension.

One of the board members, Tom Scanlon, voted against this decision. He is a current Springfield patrolman. He called this forfeiture law, "a bad law and overly broad."

Asher will keep what he has collected through his disability retirement and what he has contributed to his pension out of his own paycheck.

The Chairman of the Board, Robert Moynihan, told 22News, it was still a difficult decision to make. He said, “We have to sometimes make this decision. It's never to easy to take someone's pension from them.”

Asher is expected to appeal his conviction, and his lawyer Kevin Coyle told 22News, they will try to appeal the board's decision as well.