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Council hearing spotlights BPD overtime as youth advocates demand funds for jobs
Summary
At a May 15 Ways and Means hearing, councilors pressed Boston Police officials about rising overtime and hiring; youth advocates from Youth Justice and Power Union urged a cap on overtime and redirection of funds to youth jobs and community services.
At a May 15 Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means hearing, Councilor Brian Worrell, chair of the committee, and Boston Police Department officials discussed the department’s overtime spending while a coalition of young people urged the council to cap and cut overtime and redirect money into youth jobs and community services.
The council hearing comes as advocates and several councilors questioned why the department continued to rely on overtime to fill shifts. Councilor Julia Mejia asked whether the department had “overspent by $68 million” in overtime; the Commissioner told the committee that “BPD has overspent by $12,000,000 in overtime” as of March 31, 2025 (an assertion the Commissioner said reflected the department’s accounting against its FY2025 allocation).
Why this matters: Councilors and youth advocates said overtime that funds extra details and additional shift coverage is diverting dollars from programs they…
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