View source for Boston Police Department

{{Short description|Municipal police department in Boston, Massachusetts}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
| agencyname        = Boston Police Department
| nativename        = 
| nativenamea       = 
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| commonname        = 
| abbreviation      = BPD
| fictional         = 
| patch             = Patch of the Boston Police Department.jpg
| patchcaption      = Patch of Boston Police Department
| logo              = 
| logocaption       = 
| badge             = Badge of a Boston Police Department officer.png
| badgecaption      = Badge of Boston Police Department
| flag              = Flag of Boston.svg{{!}}border
| flagcaption       = Flag of the City of Boston
| imagesize         = 
| motto             = 
| mottotranslated   = 
| mission           = 
| formedyear        = {{start date and age|1854|5|26}}
| preceding1        = 
| dissolved         = 
| employees         = 2,713
| volunteers        = 
| budget            = $414 million (2020)<ref name="summaryb">{{cite web |url=https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/embed/file/2019-09/2-volume_1_-_operating_budget.pdf |title=Fiscal Year 2020 Adopted Budget |publisher=City of Boston |date=2020 |access-date=2020-06-04 |archive-date=2020-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604220917/https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/embed/file/2019-09/2-volume_1_-_operating_budget.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| nongovernment     = 
| country           = United States
| countryabbr       = U.S.
| national          = 
| federal           = 
| international     = 
| divtype           = Commonwealth
| divname           = Massachusetts
| divdab            = 
| subdivtype        = 
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| map               = Boston ma highlight.png
| mapcaption        = 
| sizearea          = {{Convert|89.6|sqmi|km2|sp=us}}
| sizepopulation    = 617,594 (2010 census)
| legaljuris        = [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]]
| governingbody     = 
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| police            = Yes
| local             = Yes
| overviewtype      = 
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| headquarters      = [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]]
| hqlocmap          = 
| hqlocleft         = 
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| sworntype         = Police Officer
| sworn             = {{decrease}} 2,000 of 2,500-3,000 (''2024'')<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.masslive.com/boston/2024/09/boston-police-ot-is-spiking-a-persistent-challenge-for-an-understaffed-force.html | title=Boston Police OT is spiking, a persistent challenge for an understaffed force | date=September 13, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dotnews.com/2024/hiring-crisis-seen-boston-police-ranks-council-hearing-takes-recruit | title=Hiring 'crisis' seen in Boston Police ranks; Council hearing takes up recruit problem &#124; Dorchester Reporter }}</ref>
| unsworntype       = Civilian members
| unsworn           = 569 Civilian Members
| multinational     = 
| electeetype       = [[Mayor of Boston]]
| minister1name     = [[Michelle Wu]]
| chief1name        = [[Michael Cox (police officer)|Michael A. Cox]]
| chief1position    = Commissioner
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| lockups           = 
| vehicle1type      = Patrol vehicles
| vehicles1         = [[Ford Expedition]], [[Ford F250]]
| vehicles2         = [[Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor]], [[Ford Explorer]], [[Chevrolet Caprice PPV]]
| boat1type         = 
| boats1            = 
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| aircraft1         = 
| animal1type       = K-9s
| animals1          = 33
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| website           = {{URL|https://police.boston.gov/}}
| footnotes         = 
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}}
[[Image:BPDHeadquarters.JPG|thumb|right|Police headquarters]]
[[File:Police Commissioner Sullivan and bishop at cardinal funeral.jpg|thumb|Police Commissioner Thomas F. Sullivan (left), 1944]]
[[File:Boston Police (1958).jpg|thumb|right|Investigating an abandoned stolen vehicle, 1958]]

The '''Boston Police Department''' ('''BPD''') is the primary [[law enforcement agency]] of [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], United States. Founded in 1854, the BPD is the oldest municipal police department in the [[United States]].<ref>Waxman, Olivia B. (May 29, 2017). [https://time.com/4779112/police-history-origins/ "The Societal Changes That Created the American Police Officer"] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710110239/https://time.com/4779112/police-history-origins// |date=2020-07-10 }}). ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''. May 18, 2017.</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/history-policing-united-states-part-1 | title=The History of Policing in the United States, Part 1 | date=25 June 2013 | access-date=13 May 2018 | archive-date=1 February 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201201745/http://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/history-policing-united-states-part-1 | url-status=live }}</ref> It is also the 20th largest law enforcement agency in the country, with 2,713 sworn and unsworn personnel.<ref name=brief>[http://www.cityofboston.gov/police/about/history.asp A Brief History of The B.P.D.] ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304222909/http://www.cityofboston.gov/police/about/history.asp |date=2012-03-04 }}). City of Boston, Police Department (accessed 3 December 2009).</ref>

==History==

=== Pre-incorporation (1635–1828) ===
Before the existence of a formal police department, the first night watch was established in Boston in 1635.<ref name=brief/> In 1703, pay in the sum of 35 shillings a month was set for members of the night watch. In 1796, the watch was reorganized, and the watchmen carried a badge of office, a rattle, and a six-foot pole, which was painted blue and white with a hook on one end and a bill on the other. The hook was used to grab fleeing criminals, and the rounded "bill" was used as a weapon. The rattle was a noise-making device used for calling for assistance.<ref>Taylor, J. [http://www.constabulary.com/mystery/rattle.htm "The Victorian Police Rattle Mystery"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218043036/http://www.constabulary.com/mystery/rattle.htm |date=2010-02-18 }} ''The Constabulary'' (2003)</ref><ref name="BPD Chronologist">BPD Chronologist</ref>

The Day Police, which had no connection to the night watch, was organized in 1838.<ref name=brief/> The Day Police operated under the city marshal and had six appointed officers. This organization would eventually lead to the establishment of the modern-day Boston Police Department.

=== Nineteenth century ===
In 1838, a bill passed in the General Court that allowed the city to appoint police officers, paving the way for the creation of a formal police department.<ref name="cityofbostonweb">{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/police/about/history.asp |title=A Brief History of the B.P.D. |publisher=City of Boston |work=City of Boston.gov |year=2011 |access-date=February 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304222909/http://www.cityofboston.gov/police/about/history.asp |archive-date=March 4, 2012 }}</ref> The Boston Police Department was formally founded in May 1854, at which point both the night watch and Day Police were disbanded. A 14-inch club replaced the old hook and bill, which had been in use for 154 years. At the time of its founding, the Boston Police constituted one of the first paid, professional police services in the United States. The department was closely organized and modeled after [[Sir Robert Peel]]'s (London) [[Metropolitan Police Service]].<ref name="BPD Chronologist" />

On November 3, 1851, the first Irish-born Boston Police officer, [[Barney McGinniskin|Bernard "Barney" McGinniskin]], was appointed. His presence generated considerable controversy. The ''[[Boston Pilot]]'' wrote, "He is the first Irishman that ever carried the stick of a policeman anywhere in this country, and meetings, even [[Faneuil Hall]] meetings, have been held to protect against the appointment." At the time, the police salary of $2.00 a day for the morning and afternoon beat and $1.20 for the night watch was nearly twice as high as the wages of laborers. [[City marshal|City Marshal]] Francis Tukey resisted mayor [[John Prescott Bigelow]]'s appointment of McGinniskin, expressing the predominant [[anti-Irish sentiment]]s in the city by arguing it was done at "the expense of an American." On January 5, 1852, shortly before the newly elected mayor [[Benjamin Seaver]] (who had been supported by Tukey) took office, Tukey fired McGinniskin without giving a reason. After criticism in the press, Seaver reinstated McGinniskin, who remained in the police until the 1854 anti-Irish groundswell of the [[Know Nothing]]/American Party movement, when in the words of the ''Boston Pilot'', "Mr. McGinniskin was discharged from the Boston Police for no other reason than he was a Catholic and born in Ireland." McGinniskin became a United States inspector at the customhouse and died of [[rheumatism]] on March 2, 1868.<ref>Peter F. Stevens: ''The Hidden History of the Boston Irish'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=dnudkswMjAwC&pg=PA42 p.42-45]</ref> McGinniskin is buried in the St. Augustine Cemetery in South Boston.<ref name="BPD Chronologist" />

On October 18, 1857, at about 5:15&nbsp;a.m., Boston Police Officer Ezekiel W. Hodsdon was patrolling the corner of Havre and Maverick Street in [[East Boston]]. Hodsdon attempted to arrest two suspects for a burglary. A struggle ensued, and one of the suspects was able to get behind Hodsdon and shoot him in the head. Hodsdon died about 10:00 A.M., becoming the first Boston police officer killed in the line of duty. He was 25 years old. The murderers fled. Thousands of people visited the station house to view the body. Hodsdon left behind his wife Lydia and infant son Ezekiel, who was born just 13 days prior to his death. He was buried in [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Everett, Massachusetts)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in Everett, according to ''Boston Globe'' newspaper reports on October 19, 1857.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.odmp.org/agency/375-boston-police-department-massachusetts |title=The Officer Down Memorial Page |access-date=2009-12-08 |archive-date=2009-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212035102/http://www.odmp.org/agency/375-boston-police-department-massachusetts |url-status=live }}</ref> On October 18, 2007, a memorial was held in honor of Hodsdon on the corner of Havre and Maverick Streets in East Boston.<ref name="BPD Chronologist" /> On July 14, 1863, [[Mayor of Boston|Boston Mayor]] [[Frederic W. Lincoln Jr.]] (1858–1861 & 1863–1867) ordered all 330 officers in the Department to quell a draft riot among [[Irish Catholics]] attempting to raid [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] armories in the [[North End, Boston|North End]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Tager|first=Jack|year=2001|title=Boston Riots: Three Centuries of Social Violence|publisher=[[University Press of New England|Northeastern University Press]]|place=Boston|page=[https://archive.org/details/bostonriotsthree00tage/page/136 136]|isbn=978-1555534615|url=https://archive.org/details/bostonriotsthree00tage}}</ref>

In 1871, the Boston Police Relief Association was founded. The purpose of the Boston Relief Association is intended to provide support and relief for officers of the Boston Police Department and their families. It was incorporated under the statutes of Massachusetts in 1876.<ref name="BPD Chronologist" />

The Boston Police Department appointed [[Horatio J. Homer]], its first African American officer, on December 24, 1878. He was promoted to sergeant in 1895. Sgt. Homer retired on Jan 29, 1919, after 40 years of service. He and his wife, Lydia Spriggs Homer, are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in [[Brighton, Boston|Brighton]], MA.<ref>Information Taken from Boston Police Commissioner Order on January 29, 1919, online at the BPL.</ref> On June 26, 2010, the Boston Police Department dedicated a gravestone in honor of Sgt. Homer's service.<ref name="BPD Chronologist" />

===20th century===
{{See also|Boston Police Strike|John F. Collins#Grove Hall riots and race relations}}

====1910s====
On September 9, 1919, when Police Commissioner [[Edwin Upton Curtis]] refused to allow the creation of a police union, 1,117 BPD officers went on strike. This signaled a dramatic shift in traditional labor relations and views on the part of the police, who were unhappy with stagnant wages and poor working conditions. The city soon fell into riots and public chaos as over three-fourths of the department was no longer enforcing public peace. Governor [[Calvin Coolidge]] intervened to quash further chaos. Coolidge announced that the police did not have the right to strike against the public safety and brought in the state national guard to restore order to Boston. The strike was broken, permanently, when Coolidge hired replacement police officers, many of whom were returning servicemen from [[World War I]], and the former officers were refused re-entry into the department. Ironically, the new officers hired in the wake of the strike received higher salaries, more vacation days and city-provided uniforms, the very demands the original strikers were requesting. The BPD strike set a precedent for further movements to stymie police unionization around the country.<ref name="BPD Chronologist"/>

Coolidge's intervention in the strike brought him national fame, which, in turn, led to his nomination as [[Warren G. Harding|Harding's]] running mate for vice-president in the 1920 presidential election.

====1920s====
In 1921, Irene McAuliffe, daughter of the late Weston police chief and horse breeder Patrick McAuliffe, was among the first six female members of the Boston Police Department. An accomplished horsewoman, she was sworn in as a mounted officer of the Weston Police Department in 1913 during the town's bicentennial celebration. She joined the District of Columbia Police Department in 1920, and in 1921 she became a member of the Boston Police Department's Vice Squad.<ref name="BPD Chronologist"/><ref>Boston Police Archives & Commissioner Orders</ref>

====1930s====
On May 29, 1930, [[Oliver Garrett]] was charged with 152 counts of conspiracy, extortion, and receiving gratuities for crimes allegedly committed as leader of BPD's liquor raiding unit during [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Garrett Leaves Cell Before 11|work=The Boston Daily Globe|date=May 30, 1930}}</ref> Commissioner [[Herbert A. Wilson]], who had conducted a secret investigation into Garrett two years earlier and had overrode his subordinates to grant Garrett a questionable disability pension, was removed from office by the Governor [[Frank G. Allen]] and the [[Massachusetts Governor's Council]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Garrett Cleared By Wilson After Secret Probe in 1928|work=The Boston Daily Globe|date=March 13, 1930}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Garrett No Longer Boston Policeman|work=The Boston Daily Globe|date=October 24, 1929}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Wilson Quits Post as Split Develops|newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe|date=May 6, 1930}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Governor Removes Boston Police Head|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 6, 1930}}</ref> On May 7, 1931, Garrett pleaded to guilty and was sentenced to two years in the Deer Island House of Correction and fined $100.<ref>{{cite news|title=Raider Shifts Plea Suddenly To Guilty|work=The Boston Daily Globe|date=May 8, 1931}}</ref>

====1960s====
In 1965, the largest [[police union]] representing Boston police employees, the [[Boston Police Patrolmen's Association]], was formed.

=====School desegregation busing crisis=====
{{Main|Boston desegregation busing crisis}}
In 1974 and 1975, the BPD was involved in maintaining order during the public disturbance over court-ordered [[desegregation busing|busing]], which was intended to racially desegregate Boston's public school system.<ref name=brief/><ref name=time1975>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100715234720/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917826,00.html "Boston: Preparing for the Worst"]. ''Time''. (September 15, 1975).</ref> The protest of white citizens escalated into street battles in 1974, and in 1975 uniformed BPD officers were stationed inside [[South Boston High School]], [[Charlestown High School]] and other [[Boston public schools]].<ref name=time1975/>

====1980s====
=====1982 Boston arson spree=====
{{Main|1982 Boston arson spree}}
Between 1982 and 1984, an arson ring that included BPD officers and allies set fire to 264 buildings. The ring opposed [[1980 Massachusetts Proposition 2½|Proposition 2½]], which reduced the funds that Massachusetts municipalities could raise through property taxes and led to cuts in fire departments and police agencies. Through committing arson, the ring hoped to cause social disorder to make the case for the necessity of firefighters and police.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/09/09/new-book-burn-boston-burn-looks-arson-ring-that-set-more-than-fires/om4qqPyqTXqWZnhAk3WgTM/story.html |title=New book 'Burn Boston Burn' looks at arson ring that set more than 200 fires in the 1980s |first=Emily |last=Sweeney |website=The Boston Globe |url-access=limited |date=September 9, 2019 |access-date=July 16, 2020 |archive-date=July 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716222537/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/09/09/new-book-burn-boston-burn-looks-arson-ring-that-set-more-than-fires/om4qqPyqTXqWZnhAk3WgTM/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Charles Stuart murder investigation====
{{Main|Charles Stuart (murderer)}}
In 1989, Charles Stuart killed his wife and accused an unknown black man for the murder. BPD proceeded to conduct a manhunt targeting young black men, indiscriminately using [[Terry stop|stop and frisk]] tactics, especially in neighborhoods of Mission Hill and [[Roxbury, Boston|Roxbury]]. Some residents compared the response to living in a war zone and the response is said to have contributed to distrust between black communities and BPD for decades following.<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/01/04/they-were-treated-like-animals-murder-hoax-that-made-bostons-black-community-target |title='They were treated like animals': The murder and hoax that made Boston's black community a target 30 years ago |last= Bernard |first= Diane |date=2020-01-04|newspaper= The Washington Post | access-date=2020-07-11}}</ref>

====1990s====
=====Federal fingerprinting coordination=====
On August 23, 1995, the BPD became the first police agency to send [[fingerprint]] images to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] electronically using the newly created EFIPS (now [[IAFIS]]) system. The first set of fingerprints was for a suspect arrested for armed robbery. Within hours of the receipt of the fingerprints, the FBI determined that the suspect had a number of prior arrests, including one for assault with intent to kill.<ref>1995 Annual Report of the Attorney General of the United States: [http://justice.gov/archive/ag/annualreports/ar95/chapter2.htm Chapter II - Supporting Law Enforcement in the Community]</ref>

=== 21st century ===

On December 31, 2006, 31 [[Boston Municipal Police]] Officers were allowed to transfer to the Boston Police. On January 1, 2007, the rest of the Munis were either laid off or transferred to the city's Municipal Protective Services, which provides security to the city's Property Management Department. There was no merger with the Boston Municipal Police.

The transfer of Munis was planned in mid-2006 by Mayor [[Thomas M. Menino]]. This plan was met with heavy protest from the [[Boston Police Patrolmen's Association]] (BPPA). The BPPA's argument was that the Municipal officers were not qualified to be Boston police officers due to lack of training, political patronage, nepotism, and the fact that the Munis were not civil service tested.<ref>According to Pat Rose.[http://www.masscops.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21423 37 Boston Municipal Officers don't qualify for merger] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928203120/http://www.masscops.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21423 |date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref>

====2000s====
===== 2007 Boston Bomb Scare =====
{{Main|2007 Boston Bomb Scare}}
On January 31, 2007, 911 callers mistakenly identified small electronic promotions found throughout Boston and the surrounding cities of [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] and [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]] as possible explosives. Upon investigation by Boston Police and other agencies,<ref name="BG">{{cite news | author = Smalley, Suzanne |author2=Mishra, Raja | title = Froth, fear, and fury | url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/02/01/froth_fear_and_fury/ | work = [[The Boston Globe]]| date = 2007-02-01 | access-date = 2007-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203050102/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/02/01/froth_fear_and_fury/ |archive-date=3 February 2007}}</ref> the suspicious devices turned out to be battery-powered [[LED]] placards with an image of a cartoon character called a "[[mooninite]]" used in a [[guerrilla marketing]] campaign for ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters]],'' a film based on the animated [[television series]] ''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]'' on [[Cartoon Network]]'s late-night programming block [[Adult Swim]].<ref name="BG" />

The BPD's handling of this incident has been criticized by some Boston residents and justified by others: One resident said that the police response was "silly and insane," and that "We're the laughing stock."<ref name="msnbc">[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16931200 Young Bostonians think city overreacted] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511004737/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna16931200 |date=2023-05-11 }}  NBC News</ref> Another resident said that the device "looked like a bomb. I picked it up, pulled the tape off it, and there were batteries, two on the top and three on the bottom."<ref name="BG"/> The same devices had been distributed in nine other cities across the USA without provoking a similar reaction.<ref name="msnbc"/> The [[United States Department of Homeland Security]] praised Boston authorities "for sharing their knowledge quickly with Washington officials and the public."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/arrest-made-after-suspicious-packages-paralyzed-boston-as-part-of-cartoon-network-marketing-campaign | work=Fox News | title=Arrest Made After 'Suspicious Packages' Paralyzed Boston as Part of Cartoon Network Marketing Campaign | date=January 31, 2007}}</ref>

====2010s====
===== [[Occupy Boston]] Movement =====
Beginning in September–October 2011, protesters assembled in [[Dewey Square]] as a show of solidarity with the [[Occupy Wall Street]] protest in New York. In the early hours of October 11, 2011, Boston Police and Transit Police moved into the protesters' secondary camp, arresting approximately 100 protesters.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/10/boston-mayor-says-sympathizes-with-protesters-but-they-can-tie-the-city/GFmOU1qwApiGhBNsNSzMIL/index.html |title=More than 100 arrested in Occupy Boston protests |author=Ryan, Andrew |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=11 October 2011 |access-date=11 October 2011 |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011171511/http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/10/boston-mayor-says-sympathizes-with-protesters-but-they-can-tie-the-city/GFmOU1qwApiGhBNsNSzMIL/index.html |archive-date=October 11, 2011 }}</ref> Protesters reported numerous incidents of  [[police brutality]]. Mayor Menino denied the reports and claimed that the protesters endangered public safety.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/10/11/menino-disputes-police-brutality-claims-in-occupy-boston-arrests/ |title=Menino Disputes Police Brutality Claims In 'Occupy Boston' Arrests « CBS Boston |publisher=Boston.cbslocal.com |date=2011-10-11 |access-date=2012-02-17 |archive-date=2012-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114012552/http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/10/11/menino-disputes-police-brutality-claims-in-occupy-boston-arrests/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2018, Mayor Marty Walsh announced that Boston Police Department would be adding five Americorps members as part of a partnership with the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative.[https://paariusa.org/2018/06/11/five-p-a-a-r-i-recovery-coaches-join-boston-police-department-through-americorps-program/] The Americorps members were trained recovery coaches and helped the police refer individuals in the community into treatment and recovery for substance use disorder.[https://paariusa.org/2018/06/11/five-p-a-a-r-i-recovery-coaches-join-boston-police-department-through-americorps-program/]

=====Boston Marathon bombing=====
{{Main|Boston Marathon bombing}}
The BPD responded to the [[Boston Marathon bombing]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/04/12/boston-marathon-bombings-police-security | title=Then-police commissioner on how security has changed since Boston Marathon bombings | date=12 April 2023 }}</ref>

====2020s====
===== 2020 Black Lives Matter protests=====
During the 2020 [[George Floyd protests]], the department came under scrutiny by elected officials for its usage of tear gas against civilians.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-03|title=An Effort to Curtail the Use of Tear Gas on Protesters Is Underway in Massachusetts|url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2020/06/03/tear-gas-massachusetts-bill/|access-date=2020-06-08|website=[[Boston (magazine)|Boston]]}}</ref> [[George Floyd protests in Massachusetts|Demonstrations against police brutality]] began in the city in May 2020 and continued through June.<ref>{{Cite web|last=McDonald|first=Danny|title=Throughout Mass., rallies continue to protest police brutality, systemic racism - The Boston Globe|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/06/06/metro/throughout-mass-rallies-continue-protest-police-brutality-systemic-racism/|access-date=2020-06-08|website=BostonGlobe.com|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608151050/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/06/06/metro/throughout-mass-rallies-continue-protest-police-brutality-systemic-racism/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=====Overtime fraud cases=====
In early September 2020, [[United States Attorney]] [[Andrew Lelling]] [[Indictment#United States|indicted]] nine former and current Boston police officers for allegedly collecting more than $200,000 in fraudulent overtime payments while working in the department's evidence warehouse.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ellement |first=John R. |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/02/metro/nine-former-current-boston-police-officers-charged-with-overtime-fraud-us-attorney-lelling-says/ |title=Nine former and current Boston police officers charged with overtime fraud, US Attorney Lelling says |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=2020-09-02 |access-date=2020-09-02 |archive-date=2020-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902211336/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/02/metro/nine-former-current-boston-police-officers-charged-with-overtime-fraud-us-attorney-lelling-says/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2024, 7 Boston police officers were paid over $500,000, although there were no mentions of charges being filed.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/03/12/boston-police-salaries-city-employee | title=7 Boston cops earned more than $500,000 last year | date=March 12, 2025 }}</ref>

===== Alleged child rapist as union president =====
In April 2021, ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' reported that a 1995 internal investigation by the BPD concluded that Patrick M. Rose Sr., a BPD patrolman, had likely sexual assaulted a 12-year-old child. The BPD did not act on that finding. Instead, Rose kept his badge, served for another 21 years, and was elected president of the [[Boston Police Patrolmen's Association]]. He was ultimately arrested and on November 20, 2020, Rose was indicted in [[Massachusetts Superior Court|Suffolk Superior Court]] on thirty three counts related to sexual assault of children, including sixteen counts of child rape. During his time in the BPD, the department did nothing to limit his interactions with children, including allowing Rose to work on child sexual assault cases.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2021|title=For years, the Boston Police kept a secret: the union president was an alleged child molester|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/10/metro/years-boston-police-kept-secret-union-president-was-an-alleged-child-molester/|access-date=2021-04-11|website=Boston Globe|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411004326/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/04/10/metro/years-boston-police-kept-secret-union-president-was-an-alleged-child-molester/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===== Commissioner White termination =====
Following the abrupt resignation of commissioner [[William G. Gross]] at the end of January 2021, mayor [[Marty Walsh]] quickly named superintendent [[Dennis White (police commissioner)|Dennis White]] to succeed Gross.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.boston.gov/news/william-gross-retire-mayor-appoints-dennis-white-43rd-boston-police-commissioner |title=William Gross to Retire; Mayor Appoints Dennis White as 43rd Boston Police Commissioner |website=boston.gov |date=January 28, 2021 |access-date=January 28, 2021}}</ref> White was sworn in on February 1, 2021.<ref name="Gavin">{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/02/01/dennis-white-police-reform-boston-commissioner |title=Dennis White vows to see through reforms as Boston's police commissioner |first=Christopher |last=Gavin |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=February 1, 2021 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201181440/https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/02/01/dennis-white-police-reform-boston-commissioner |url-status=live }}</ref> Two days later, White was placed on leave due to "the handling of a 1999 allegation of domestic violence" against White coming to light.<ref name="leave"/> The city of Boston subsequently hired an independent attorney to conduct an investigation; meanwhile, Walsh resigned as mayor upon his confirmation as [[United States Secretary of Labor]]. Results of the investigation were released in mid-May,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/14/metro/11-surprises-investigative-report-suspended-bpd-commissioner-dennis-white/ |title=11 disturbing revelations in the investigative report on suspended BPD commissioner Dennis White |first1=Stephanie |last1=Ebbert |first2=Sahar |last2=Fatima |website=[[The Boston Globe]] |url-access=limited |date=May 14, 2021 |accessdate=May 14, 2021 |archive-date=May 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514221955/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/14/metro/11-surprises-investigative-report-suspended-bpd-commissioner-dennis-white/ |url-status=live }}</ref> followed by several legal actions by White's attorney seeking to block the city from terminating White.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/05/27/appeals-court-clears-way-for-mayor-janey-to-fire-boston-police-commissioner/ |title=Appeals Court clears way for Mayor Janey to fire Boston police commissioner |first=Danny |last=McDonald |agency=[[The Boston Globe]] |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=May 27, 2021 |accessdate=May 27, 2021 |archive-date=May 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528020740/https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/05/27/appeals-court-clears-way-for-mayor-janey-to-fire-boston-police-commissioner/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ultimately, acting mayor [[Kim Janey]] fired White on June 7, 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/06/07/boston-police-commissioner-dennis-white-has-been-fired/ |title=Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White has been fired |first=Christopher |last=Gavin |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=June 7, 2021 |accessdate=June 7, 2021 |archive-date=June 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607192606/https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/06/07/boston-police-commissioner-dennis-white-has-been-fired/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Departmental organization==
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2009}}
[[Image:Boston Police - Special Operations Officer.jpg|thumb|A Boston Police Special Operations officer]]
[[File:Boston Police cruiser on Beacon Street.jpg|thumb|A Boston Police cruiser on Beacon Street]]
[[File:BPD Cruiser at night with lights activated .jpg|thumb|Boston Police cruiser near Berklee College of Music]]
[[Image:BostonPoliceKiosk.jpg|thumb|upright|Boston Police Department [[kiosk]] in [[Downtown Crossing]]]]

The Boston Police Department has approximately 2,015 officers and 808 civilian personnel, with patrol services covering an area of 89.6&nbsp;mi<sup>2</sup> (232.1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) and a population of 617,594. Like all City of Boston departments, the BPD requires all employed officers hired since 1995 to live within Boston city-limits. The BPD is divided into three zones and 11 neighborhood districts spread across the city, with each zone supervised by a Deputy Superintendent and every district headed by a Captain.<ref name="BPD Chronologist"/>

=== Ranks ===
The Boston Police rank structure is as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Title
!Insignia
!Notes
|-
|Commissioner (civilian)
|
|The Commissioner is appointed by the Mayor of Boston. The Commissioner is the executive head of the department.
|-
|Superintendent-in-Chief
|[[File:New York Fire Department Chief Rank.png|center|80px]]
|Superintendent-in-Chief is the highest-ranking police officer in the department. This position is not always filled.
|-
|Superintendent
|[[File:4 Gold Stars.svg|center|108px]]
|Superintendents are typically in charge of a Bureau, or they can be the director of the academy
|-
|Deputy Superintendent
|[[File:3 Gold Stars.svg|center|81px]]
|Deputy Superintendents are typically second-in-command of a Bureau, or the deputy director of the academy
|-
|Captain
|[[File:Captain insignia gold.svg|center|25px]]
|Captains are typically commanders in charge of a district, a unit commander in academy, or service chief in the department administration and act as detective officers if needed
|-
|Lieutenant
|[[File:US-OF1B.svg|center|10px]]
|Lieutenants hold the function of second-in-command in a district, or Unit leader in a district, or service chief in the department administration, or instructor in the academy and can act as detective officers in the Department
|-
|Sergeant/Sergeant Detective 
|[[File:U.S. police sergeant yellow rank chevrons.svg|center|40px]]
|Sergeants have the functions of district sergeant, or unit deputy chief in district or staff sergeant in the department administration, or instructor in the academy and are responsible for supporting detectives where needed
|-
|Detective
|
|Detective is a rank, guaranteed by a Legislative Act of 1986. They work in plainclothes and hold the function of an investigator.
|-
|Police Officer
|
|Police Officers are the first ranking officers.
|-
|* Certain jobs within the department are designated as Detective Supervisor jobs (District Det. Supervisor, Sexual Assault Unit, Domestic Violence, etc.). Detective Supervisors earn their "rating" after serving a certain amount of time in said role and are referred to as their rank followed by "detective" (i.e. sergeant detective, lieutenant detective, etc.)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Police|first=Boston|title=Recent Promotions: Seven BPD Sergeants Receive Their Sergeant Detective Rating|url=https://bpdnews.com/news/2019/4/12/recent-promotions-seven-bpd-sergeants-receive-their-sergeant-detective-rating|access-date=2022-01-12|website=bpdnews.com|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-01-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112025226/https://bpdnews.com/news/2019/4/12/recent-promotions-seven-bpd-sergeants-receive-their-sergeant-detective-rating|url-status=live}}</ref>
|
|* Deputy Superintendents and above serve at the pleasure of the Police Commissioner and in the case of the Commissioner, the Mayor.
|-
|}

=== Leadership ===
[[File:Nathaniel Wales.png|thumb|right|upright=.8|[[Nathaniel Wales (American politician)|Nathaniel Wales]]]]
[[File:Martin-AugustusPearl.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.8|[[Augustus P. Martin]]]]
[[File:111-SC-13361 - NARA - 55186858-cropped.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.8|[[Charles H. Cole]]]]

[[Dennis White (police commissioner)|Dennis White]] was appointed as commissioner on February 1, 2021;<ref name="Gavin"/> he was placed on leave on February 3, 2021.<ref name=leave/>  Gregory P. Long has been the superintendent-in-chief since August 2018;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/08/10/gregory-long-named-chief-superintendent-boston-police/7A0aw0ZslDjLPPLBngSG9I/story.html |title=Gregory Long named as chief superintendent of Boston police |first=Milton J. |last=Valencia |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=August 10, 2018 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-date=February 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206092531/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/08/10/gregory-long-named-chief-superintendent-boston-police/7A0aw0ZslDjLPPLBngSG9I/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> he was named acting commissioner upon White being placed on leave.<ref name=leave/>

[[Kathleen O'Toole]] was the first woman to serve as commissioner, from February 2004 through May 2006 when she left to take a new position as Chief Inspector of the Inspectorate of the Irish national police force, the [[Garda Síochána]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archive.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/05/09/otoole_stepping_down_as_boston_police_commissioner/ |title=O'Toole stepping down as Boston police commissioner |first=Donovan |last=Slack |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=May 9, 2006 |access-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-date=November 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122123248/http://archive.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/05/09/otoole_stepping_down_as_boston_police_commissioner/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Members of the Boston Police Commission====
A three-person police commission (also called the police board) consisted of members nominated by the [[Governor of Massachusetts]] and approved by the [[Massachusetts Governor's Council]]. The commission was established in 1878 and abolished in 1906.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
! Name
! Term start
! Term end
|-
| [[Henry S. Russell]] || July 8, 1878 || March 1, 1880
|-
| Samual R. Spinney || July 8, 1878 || May 3, 1880
|-
| James M. Bugbee || July 8, 1878 || May 5, 1879
|-
| Henry Walker || May 5, 1879 || April 21, 1882
|-
| Edward J. Jones || March 26, 1880 || April 21, 1882
|-
| Thomas J. Gargan || May 3, 1880 || April 21, 1882
|-
| Thomas L. Jerks || April 22, 1882 || July 23, 1885
|-
| Nathaniel Wales || April 22, 1882 || July 7, 1885
|-
| Benjamin D. Barley || April 22, 1882 || May 6, 1883
|-
| Michael P. Curran || May 7, 1883 || July 23, 1885
|-
| Albert T. Whiting || July 2, 1885 || May 6, 1895
|-
| William H. Lee || July 23, 1885 || May 28, 1894
|-
| William M. Osborne || July 23, 1885 || April 30, 1893
|-
| [[Robert F. Clark]] || May 1, 1893 || May 4, 1903
|-
| [[Augustus P. Martin]] || May 28, 1894 || May 1, 1899
|-
| Charles P. Curtis Jr. || May 6, 1895 || May 1, 1905
|-
| Harry F. Adams || May 1, 1899 || June 4, 1906<ref name=retiring/>
|-
| William H. Emmons || May 5, 1903<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69154947/judge-emmons-assumes-his-new-duties/ |title=Judge Emmons Assumes His New Duties |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=14 |date=May 5, 1903 |accessdate=February 2, 2021 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=February 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215233009/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69154947/judge-emmons-assumes-his-new-duties/ |url-status=live }}</ref> || June 4, 1906<ref name=retiring/>
|-
| [[Charles H. Cole]] || May 1, 1905<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69155543/col-charles-h-cole-jr-begins-work-as/ |title=Col Charles H. Cole Jr Begins Work as Chairman of Police Commission |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=1 |date=May 1, 1905 |accessdate=February 2, 2021 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=February 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206153418/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69155543/col-charles-h-cole-jr-begins-work-as/ |url-status=live }}</ref> || June 4, 1906<ref name=retiring>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69155153/retiring-police-board-to-be-honored/ |title=Retiring Police Board to be Honored |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=25 |date=June 3, 1906 |accessdate=February 2, 2021 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=February 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207051824/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69155153/retiring-police-board-to-be-honored/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

==== List of Boston Police Commissioners ====
Boston's police commissioner was appointed by the Governor until 1962.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69157161/so-the-legislature-took-control-and/ |title=So the Legislature Took Control, And Politics Has Ruled Since |first=Douglas S. |last=Crocket |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=36 |date=April 1, 1962 |accessdate=February 2, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> [[Edmund McNamara|Edmund L. McNamara]] was the first commissioner to be appointed by the [[mayor of Boston]], taking office in April 1962 via appointment by mayor [[John F. Collins]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69157358/mcnamara-5-years-of-controversy/ |title=McNamara: 5 Years of Controversy |first=William A. |last=Davis |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=7 |date=December 31, 1967 |accessdate=February 2, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Once appointed, a commissioner can only be removed from the position [[Just cause (employment law)|for cause]] until their term expires.<ref name=Rezendes>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69342672/state-law-restricts-mayor-on-firing-of/ |title=State law restricts mayor on firing of city's police chief |first=Michael |last=Rezendes |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=16 |date=August 13, 1991 |accessdate=February 4, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> A commissioner may be appointed to a five-year term, or to serve the remainder of a predecessor's five-year term.<ref name=Rezendes/>

Names in italics indicate a person served as acting (interim) commissioner only. Since 1985, several acting commissioners have been sworn as permanent. Numbering is per cited contemporary news reports and may include inconsistencies.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
! rowspan=2|No.
! rowspan=2|
! rowspan=2|Name
! colspan=2|Acting
! colspan=2|Sworn / permanent
! rowspan=2|Ref.
|-
! Term start
! Term end
! Term start
! Term end
|-
| 1 || [[File:Stephen O'Meara (1854–1918) (1).png|100x100px]] || [[Stephen O'Meara]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || June 4, 1906 || December 14, 1918 || 
|-
| {{nbsp}} || [[File:Michael H. Crowley (Green Studio).jpg|x75px]] || ''Michael H. Crowley'' || December 14, 1918 || December 30, 1918 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} ||
|-
| 2 || [[File:Edwin Upton Curtis (1861–1922) (3x4a).png|100x100px]] || [[Edwin Upton Curtis]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || December 30, 1918 || March 28, 1922 ||
|-
| {{nbsp}} || [[File:Michael H. Crowley (Green Studio).jpg|x75px]] || ''Michael H. Crowley'' || March 28, 1922 || April 3, 1922 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} ||
|-
| 3 || [[File:1918 Herbert Wilson senator Massachusetts (1).jpg|100x100px]] || [[Herbert A. Wilson]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || April 3, 1922 || May 5, 1930 ||
|-
| {{nbsp}} || [[File:Michael H. Crowley (Green Studio).jpg|x75px]] || ''Michael H. Crowley'' || May 5, 1930 || May 8, 1930 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} ||
|-
| 4 || [[File:1908 Eugene Hultman Massachusetts House of Representatives (1).png|100x100px]] || [[Eugene Hultman]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || May 8, 1930 || December 27, 1934 ||
|-
| 5 || [[File:1905 Joseph J Leonard Massachusetts House of Representatives (1).png|100x100px]] || [[Joseph J. Leonard]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || December 27, 1934 || February 23, 1935 ||
|-
| 6 || || [[Eugene M. McSweeney]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || February 23, 1935 || November 25, 1936 ||
|-
| 7 || || [[Joseph F. Timilty (police commissioner)|Joseph F. Timilty]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || November 25, 1936 (took office)<br>June 5, 1943 (reinstated) || March 27, 1943 (suspended)<br>November 25, 1943 (term ended) ||
|-
| {{nbsp}} || || ''Thomas S. J. Kavanagh'' || March 27, 1943 || June 5, 1943 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} ||
|-
| 8 || [[File:Thomas F. Sullivan (3).jpg|100x100px]] || [[Thomas F. Sullivan]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || November 26, 1943 || August 27, 1957 ||
|-
| {{nbsp}} || || ''James F. Daley'' || August 27, 1957 || September 4, 1957 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} ||
|-
| 9 || [[File:1945 Leo J Sullivan senator Massachusetts (1).jpg|100x100px]] || [[Leo J. Sullivan]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || September 4, 1957 || March 15, 1962 ||
|-
| {{nbsp}} || || ''Francis J. Hennessy'' || March 15, 1962 || April 6, 1962 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} ||
|-
| 10 || [[File:Edmund McNamara (10559472695) (1).jpg|100x100px]] || [[Edmund McNamara|Edmund L. McNamara]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || April 6, 1962 || May 31, 1972 ||
|-
| {{nbsp}} || || ''William J. Taylor'' || May 31, 1972 || November 1, 1972 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} ||
|-
| 11 || [[File:Robert J. DiGrazia, Boston (1).png|100x100px]] || [[Robert diGrazia]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || November 1, 1972 || November 15, 1976 ||
|-
| 12 || || [[Joseph M. Jordan]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || November 15, 1976 || January 31, 1985 ||
|-
| 13 || [[File:Francis Roache (9501945973) 1.jpg|100x100px]] || [[Francis Roache]] || February 1, 1985 || March 13, 1985 || March 13, 1985 || June 30, 1993 ||
|-
| 14 || [[File:Hometown Heroes Awards (12211357524) (William Bratton1).jpg|100x100px]] || [[William Bratton]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || June 30, 1993 || January 10, 1994 ||
|-
| 15 || || [[Paul F. Evans]] || January 10, 1994 || February 14, 1994 || February 14, 1994 || November 14, 2003 || <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69152623/from-southie-via-nam-a-police-leader/ |title=From Southie, via Nam, a police leader emerges |first=Kevin |last=Cullen |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=1 |date=February 15, 1994 |accessdate=February 1, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>
|-
| {{nbsp}} || || ''James Hussey'' || November 14, 2003 || February 19, 2004 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} ||
|-
| 16 || [[File:Kathleen O'Toole (1).jpg|100x100px]] || [[Kathleen O'Toole]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || February 19, 2004 || May 31, 2006 || <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69152782/1st-female-commissioner-faces-labor/ |title=1st female commissioner faces labor, convention challenges |first=Rick |last=Klein |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=1 |date=February 9, 2004 |accessdate=February 1, 2021 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=February 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207123320/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69152782/1st-female-commissioner-faces-labor/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| {{nbsp}} || || ''Al Goslin'' || May 31, 2006 || December 5, 2006 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} ||
|-
| 17 || [[File:1370-6 4384889345 o (Ed Davis).jpg|100x100px]] || [[Ed Davis (police commissioner)|Ed Davis]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || December 5, 2006 || November 1, 2013 || <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69158470/a-selective-assured-davis-ready-for/ |title=A selective, assured Davis ready for next stage |first=Maria |last=Cramer |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=B1 |date=November 1, 2013 |accessdate=February 2, 2021 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=February 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207171658/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69158470/a-selective-assured-davis-ready-for/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 18 || [[File:William B. Evans (32862374327) (2).jpg|100x100px]] || [[William B. Evans]] || November 1, 2013 || January 9, 2014 || January 9, 2014 || August 4, 2018 || <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69150186/as-he-takes-office-evans-vows-to-put/ |title=As he takes office, Evans vows to put more officers on street |first=Maria |last=Cramer |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=B1 |date=January 18, 2014 |accessdate=February 1, 2021 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=February 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207091156/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/69150186/as-he-takes-office-evans-vows-to-put/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 19 || [[File:William Gross Commissioner of the Boston Police Department (2).jpg|100x100px]] || [[William G. Gross]]  || August 4, 2018 || August 6, 2018 || August 6, 2018 || January 29, 2021 || <ref>{{cite news |last=Valencia |first=Milton J. |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/08/05/william-gross-set-sworn-boston-first-black-police-commissioner-was-officer-making-friends-say/3UpVDi2P7XIiqQJkXwhrzK/story.html |title=William Gross, set to be sworn in as Boston's first black police commissioner, was an officer in the making, friends say |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=2018-08-05 |access-date=2018-08-06 |archive-date=2018-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806021228/https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/08/05/william-gross-set-sworn-boston-first-black-police-commissioner-was-officer-making-friends-say/3UpVDi2P7XIiqQJkXwhrzK/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 20 || || [[Dennis White (police commissioner)|Dennis White]] || January 29, 2021 || February 1, 2021 || February 1, 2021 || February 3, 2021 ''(suspended)''<br/>June 7, 2021 ''(terminated)'' || <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/02/01/dennis-white-police-reform-boston-commissioner |title=Dennis White vows to see through reforms as Boston's police commissioner |first=Christopher |last=Gavin |website=[[Boston.com]] |date=February 1, 2021 |accessdate=February 1, 2021 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201181440/https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/02/01/dennis-white-police-reform-boston-commissioner |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=leave/><ref>{{cite news |last=McDonald |first=Danny |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/07/metro/kim-janey-fires-dennis-white-boston-police-commissioner/ |title=Kim Janey fires Dennis White as Boston police commissioner |website=[[The Boston Globe]] |url-access=limited |date=June 7, 2021 |accessdate=June 7, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| || [[File:Gregory Long 52761283048 o (1).jpg|100x100px]] || ''Gregory Long'' || February 3, 2021 || August 15, 2022 || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || <ref name=leave>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/04/metro/walsh-places-new-police-commissioner-leave-after-past-domestic-violence-allegation-surfaces/ |title=Walsh places new police commissioner on leave after past domestic violence allegation surfaces |first1=Andrew |last1=Ryan |first2=Dugan |last2=Arnett |website=[[The Boston Globe]] |url-access=limited |date=February 3, 2021 |access-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204023133/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/04/metro/walsh-places-new-police-commissioner-leave-after-past-domestic-violence-allegation-surfaces/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| 21 || [[File:Michael Cox at security press conference for the 2024 Boston Marathon GK Etd1XgAAdr10 (1).jpg|100x100px]] || [[Michael Cox (police officer)|Michael Cox]] || colspan=2 bgcolor=lightgrey|{{nbsp}} || August 15, 2022 || ''incumbent'' || <ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/boston-swears-in-new-police-commissioner-michael-cox/ar-AA10H5Pe |title=Boston swears in new Police Commissioner Michael Cox |first=Grace |last=Zokovitch |website=[[Boston Herald]] |via=MSN.com |date=August 15, 2022 |accessdate=August 15, 2022 |archive-date=August 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816024524/http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/boston-swears-in-new-police-commissioner-michael-cox/ar-AA10H5Pe |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

==== Special operations unit ====
[[File:Boston Police Special Operations Unit.jpg|thumb|A member of the special operations unit]]

The Boston Police Special Operations Unit is a specialized unit within the Boston Police Department responsible for combined duties involving [[Highway Patrol]] and traffic enforcement, crowd control, and special weapons and tactics ([[SWAT]]) services within the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bureau of Field Services |url=https://bpdnews.com/bfs |access-date=2021-04-18 |website=bpdnews.com |language=en-US |archive-date=2021-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418150532/https://bpdnews.com/bfs |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-02-02 |title=Police |url=https://www.boston.gov/departments/police |access-date=2021-04-18 |website=Boston.gov |language=en}}</ref>

One unique feature of the unit is that the Special Operations Unit primarily relies on the use of [[Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor]]s and [[Harley-Davidson]]s in their daily patrols. The use of motorcycles allows the unit to perform routine traffic enforcement; accompany parades, crowds, and visiting dignitaries; and to quickly travel to situations wherein the unit's SWAT skills are requested. Specialized trucks and support vehicles are also used to transport equipment and officers when needed.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}

The Canine unit with twenty-seven patrol/narcotics and EOD dogs, and the Bomb (EOD) Squad is also under the Special Operations Division.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

From 1873 to 2009, the department also featured a [[mounted police|mounted unit]], which was a part of the Bureau of Special Operations. Budgetary pressures in the latter year, however, resulted in the unit's disbandment. Despite vows by the city's political leadership that the unit would be reconstituted once the city's fiscal picture brightened, that has not happened.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-06-25 |title=Media |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2009/06/25/bpd-mounted-unit |access-date=2025-11-10 |website=WBUR.org |language=en}}</ref>

The Boston Police also formerly had a [[police aviation]] unit. (A Boston Police helicopter was featured in the opening credits of the Boston-based television series ''[[Spenser: For Hire]]''.) The unit was disbanded in 1990 during a city and state fiscal crisis. The [[Massachusetts State Police]] now provides the BPD with aviation support when necessary.

== Equipment ==

=== Transportation ===
The Boston Police uses the following vehicles.
* [[Ford Explorer#Ford Police Interceptor Utility|Ford Police Interceptor SUV]] – Current issue patrol car. they own 10 of new 2025 patrol cars)
* [[Chevrolet Caprice|Chevy Caprice]] Current issue patrol c
* [[Chevrolet Impala|Chevy Impala]] Current issue patrol car.
* [[Chevrolet Tahoe|Chevy Tahoe PPV]] – Current issue patrol car.
* [[Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor]] – Mostly phased out as of July 2019. Occasionally seen on a detail, etc.
* [[Ford F-Series|Ford F-250]] - [[Prisoner transport vehicle]]
* [[Ford Expedition]]
* [[Harley-Davidson]]
* [[HMMWV]]

=== Weapons ===
Boston police officers may carry "only weapons, magazines and ammunition authorized and issued by the Department", which "include, but are not limited to":<ref name=sidearms>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/rule303_tcm3-9585.pdf |title=Boston Police Department Rules and Procedures: Rule 303, Use of Deadly Force |at=Section 9, page 5 |date=11 April 2003 |publisher=Boston Police Department |access-date=2 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526174456/http://www.cityofboston.gov/Images_Documents/rule303_tcm3-9585.pdf |archive-date=May 26, 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Benelli M3|Benelli M3 SBS]] (12 gauge)
* [[Bushmaster XM-15]] ([[.223 Remington]])
* [[Glock#.40 S&W|Glock Model 22]]<ref name=sidearms/> ([[.40 S&W]])
* [[Glock#.40 S&W|Glock Model 23]]<ref name=sidearms/> (.40 S&W)
* [[Glock#.40 S&W|Glock Model 27]]<ref name=sidearms/> (.40 S&W)
* [[SIG Sauer GSR]] in [[.45 ACP]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sites.google.com/site/worldinventory/pw_massachusetts |title=Police Weapons in the USA: Massachusetts
 |date=11 April 2003 |publisher=Boston Police Department |quote=SIGarms .45 Caliber Pistol – 8 Rounds |access-date=2 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sigsauer.com/upFiles/Specifications-Comparison.pdf |title=Pistol Specifications |at=Chart 1 |publisher=[[SIG Sauer]] |access-date=2 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027111717/http://www.sigsauer.com/upFiles/Specifications-Comparison.pdf |archive-date=27 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[SIG Sauer P320]] [[9×19mm]]: used by Boston Police Department Special Operations Unit only.

== Demographics ==

;By gender
* Male: 84%
* Female: 16%<ref>[http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/lemas00.pdf Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802114024/http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/lemas00.pdf |date=August 2, 2009 }}</ref>

;By race
* White: 65.5%
* African-American: 23.9%
* Hispanic: 8.3%
* Asian: 2.4%<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.governing.com/gov-data/safety-justice/police-department-officer-demographics-minority-representation.html |title=Police Department Race and Ethnicity Demographic Data |date=August 27, 2015 |access-date=2020-06-01 |archive-date=2020-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608211850/https://www.governing.com/gov-data/safety-justice/police-department-officer-demographics-minority-representation.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Fictional portrayals==
The Boston Police Department has been portrayed in several prominent motion pictures including ''[[The Equalizer (film)|The Equalizer]]'', ''[[Patriots Day (film)|Patriots Day]]'', ''[[The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film)|The Thomas Crown Affair]]'', ''[[Gone Baby Gone]]'', ''[[Mystic River (film)|Mystic River]]'', ''[[The Departed]]'', ''[[Edge of Darkness (2010 film)|Edge of Darkness]]'', ''[[Blown Away (1994 film)|Blown Away]]'', ''[[The Brink's Job]]'', ''[[That's My Boy (2012 film)|That's My Boy]]'', ''[[R.I.P.D.]]'', ''[[The Heat (film)|The Heat]]'', ''[[X2 (film)|X2]]'', ''[[What's The Worst That Could Happen?]]'', ''[[The Boondock Saints]]'', ''[[Spenser Confidential]]'', ''[[Surrogates (film)|Surrogates]]'', and ''[[The Town (2010 film)|The Town]]''. BPD is also featured in the television series ''[[City on a Hill (TV series)|City on a Hill]]'', ''[[Spenser: For Hire]]'', ''[[Rizzoli & Isles]]'', ''[[Leverage (American TV series)|Leverage]]'', ''[[Crossing Jordan]]'', ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'', ''[[Boston Blue]]'', and the failed [[Katee Sackhoff]]/[[Goran Visnjic]] police show pilot ''[[Boston's Finest (TV series)|Boston's Finest]]''.

==See also==
{{Portal|Massachusetts}}
* [[List of law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts]] 
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[Francis Russell (author)|Francis Russell]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=GOqa9-BWvmMC ''A City in Terror: Calvin Coolidge and the 1919 Boston Police Strike''] (Boston: Beacon Press, 1975, {{ISBN|978-0-8070-5033-0}}).

== External links ==
* [https://bpdnews.com/ Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601044025/https://bpdnews.com/ |date=2022-06-01 }}
* [https://www.wokewindows.org/ WokeWindows - Providing a view into the Boston Police Department]
* [http://archive.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/04/13/police_union_to_fight_merger/ 2006 ''Boston Globe'' article] on the Municipal Police Department/Boston Police Department merger
* The [http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20296987 Police News Collection, Scrapbooks, 1961-1968] are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
* The [http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20297025 Elmer V.H. Brooks papers, 1924-1998 (Bulk 1937-1968)] are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
* [http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20297020 The Justice George Lewis Ruffin Society records, n.d., 1848-1853, 1885-1893, 1963-2005 (bulk 1984-2005)] are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
* Boston Police Department Annual Reports since 1885 https://web.archive.org/web/20100613003654/http://bpl.org/online/govdocs/bpd_reports.htm

{{Boston Police Department}}
{{BostonMA}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Boston Police Department| ]]
[[Category:Government of Boston]]
[[Category:Municipal police departments of Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1838 establishments in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Boston Government Agencies]]