City Will Not Act Against Phony Degrees

While several Boston-area colleges are in the process of reviewing their controversial criminal justice programs. Cambridge officials said yesterday that they will not take action against local police officers who participated in the programs to earn higher salaries.

In 1984 the city spent $709,300 in salary bonuses for nearly two-thirds of the Cambridge police force who were supposed to be getting a supplemental college education.

But according to a Boston Globe series several weeks ago, the courses require only minimal skills, have east exams and do not require regular at tendance.

What Offerings

Northeastern, which offers a continuing education program popular among Cambridge police officers, has established a committee to investigate the program following the Globe-series, said John W. Jordan Jr., dean of the university's continuing education branch.

Cambridge City Manager Robert W. Healy said responsibility for correcting the deficiencies its the program lies with the universities who teach the courses, not the city or the police department.

"There has to be some sort of sell policing of the institutions to ensure that programs they offer are in fact college programs," he said.

A Cambridge police department employee. Richard Ofria said nearly three quarters of Cambridge's 260 policemen currently receive incentive pay under the program, which was established by the Massachusetts legislature in 1970.

The program. Ofria said, provides raises of 10 percent for an associate's degree. 20 percent for a bachelor's degree, and 25 percent for a master's degree.

Under the terms of the program, individual cities, and towns pay the entire amount and then are reimbursed for half the cost from the state government. Massachusetts paid out $12.5 billion in reimbursements in 1984.

Healy said that since the program is statewide, any action to curtail benefits or modify it in any way would have to come from the state legislature.