Boston Police overtime

Two years after launching an investigation into Boston Police Department records that showed officers appearing to collect court overtime pay while on duty outside of courthouses, a department spokesman told the Banner the investigation by the Bureau of Professional Standards is ongoing.

As the city’s budget process continues, the Boston Police Department has now had its first turn at scrutiny by City Council members who, during nearly six hours of questioning, focused their attention on issues of staffing, overtime and department procedures in an effort to better understand Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposed $396 million dollar budget allocation.

Criticism of the police that gets the greatest attention is over police violence, particularly against Blacks. But there has been another long-standing accusation that the police are intentionally inefficient. Exorbitant police salaries are customarily increased by fictitious overtime payments. However, the Boston Police Department has been able to reduce overtime payments by almost $6 million in 2021.

Under city law, the Boston Police Department is required to provide the mayor and the City Council with a weekly report on the deployment of sworn officers by district or shift, along with a breakdown of overtime awarded to officers in each district. Yet, when asked during a hearing Wednesday by District 5 City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, BPD officials could not say the last time such a report was prepared or forwarded to city officials.