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The State of Police Reform in Boston

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The Boston City Council: As a member of the original Boston Police Reform Task Force (BPRTF) which initially proposed the reforms we now have in place in the city I am writing to express my concerns regarding the implementation and follow up with these initiatives. The BPRTF reforms were established in good faith after in depth research and debate and widely lauded by the public and media. Additionally, both the past and current Administration pledged their support in seeing these reforms fully implemented and supported. As we are entering into the new year of 2026 I implore the Boston City Council to once again prioritize police reform. Doing so will work towards ensuring that we empower the mechanisms for transparency and accountability which were set in place for the benefit of both the public and the BPD. I am asking the Boston City Council to hold a hearing calling BPD Commissioner Cox, BPPA Union President Calderone and any other appropriate BPD personnel to explain any reasoning behind the continued non-compliance with OPAT / CRB / IAOP requests or recommendations. Any impediments to compliance should be identified if there remain any existing conflicts between BPD policies or procedures and the OPAT mandate. OPAT has had a challenging beginning from its inception and I am hopeful the Boston City Council can assist it to reach its maximum potential and fulfill its stated mission. I believe a City Council hearing with all involved parties can serve to bring public light and resolution to any hesitance or obstructions which may exist. Hearings such as what I am proposing are critically important to not only building trust between the community and the BPD but maintaining it. Additionally, I am asking that the Boston City Council invites before it OPAT Executive Director Evandro Carvalho, Civilian Review Board (CRB) Chair Sam Harold and Internal Affairs Oversight Panel (IAOP) Chair Anthony Fugate to explain the challenges they have had to navigate as well as come up with remedies for any obstacles impeding their mandated mission. Lastly, I would ask that the BCC request solutions for delays in any and all Public Records Requests from the media and public alike. One aspect of the BPRTF reforms directly addressed this issue but the historic problem seems to have worsened. I thank you for your attention and work on this important issue. Sincerely, Jamarhl Crawford 617-290-8108 SAVE THE DATE: Community Town Hall Forum THE STATE OF POLICE REFORM IN BOSTON Saturday, January 17th, 2026 MAMLEO @ 61 Columbia Rd. DOR. MA 02121 1PM – 4PM TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED: BPD Compliance with OPAT / CRB / IAOP recommendations Differences between POST (state) & OPAT (city) BPD Dashboard BPD Commissioner and BPPA commitment to Police Reform SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: OPAT Email update Dec. 23, 2025 Statement of Executive Director Evandro C. Carvalho on Behalf of the OPAT Commission “The Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) is reviewing recent public statements by the Boston Police Department (BPD), including remarks aired on Boston Fox 25 on December 9, 2025, as well as BPD Commissioner’s December 4, 2025 letter in response to the Civilian Review Board’s September 11, 2025 letter. OPAT’s authority is laid out in a City of Boston Ordinance.  While we respect legitimate requirements of existing protocols, the ordinance establishing OPAT describes, demands, and calls for a comprehensive role for community and civilian oversight over BPD. Upholding the integrity of OPAT’s independent process is essential to the accountability framework that Boston residents and policymakers envisioned. We look forward to continuing to have ongoing meaningful discussions with BPD, to provide transparent and effective oversight over policing in Boston.” ADDITIONAL SOURCES: Boston’s police oversight board sees ‘widespread refusal’ by officers to cooperate Mass Live | Luis Fieldman | Nov. 19, 2025 https://www.masslive.com/boston/2025/11/bostons-police-oversight-board-sees-widespread-refusal-by-officers-to-cooperate.html Police oversight board tells commissioner to stop ignoring its discipline recommendations WBUR | Eve Zuckoff | October 10, 2025 https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/10/10/boston-police-oversight-board-commissioner-cox-discipline-rejected Boston police chief routinely rejects disciplinary recommendations by oversight board WBUR | Walter Wuthmann | August 28, 2025 https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/08/28/boston-police-commissioner-officers-discipline ‘This is an agency in infancy’: After almost five years, Boston’s new police accountability office still hasn’t hit its stride Only with strong leadership, especially from Mayor Michelle Wu, will the office live up to expectations. Boston Globe | Editorial Board | June 9, 2025 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/09/opinion/opat-police-accountability-carvalho-wu/ Battenfeld: Wu failures on Boston police accountability and transparency Boston Herald | Joe Battenfeld | May 1, 2025 https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/05/01/battenfeld-wu-failures-on-boston-police-accountability-and-transparency/ Boston’s police oversight agency has not met expectations. Its director says that’s about to change. Boston Globe | Dan Glaun | April 6, 2025 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/06/metro/boston-police-accountability- transparency-office/ 25 Investigates: Boston’s police transparency unit is opaque Boston 25 News | Kerry Kavanaugh | October 17, 2024 https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/25-investigates-bostons-police-transparency-unit-is-opaque/BTIJQTIPQVA2ZAHEGVQ5FQY22Y/ Boston’s police oversight office has yet to uphold a single civilian complaint GBH | Adam Reilly | March 01, 2023 https://www.wgbh.org/news/politics/2023-03-01/bostons-police-oversight-office-has-yet-to-uphold-a-single-civilian-complaint Michael Cox POST Commission declines probe into BPD commissioner despite Read lawyer’s request WCVB | Tim Nazzaro | Nov 20, 2025 https://www.wcvb.com/article/massachusetts-post-no-probe-michael-cox/69501567 Lawsuit claims BPD commissioner shielded officer from lying charge Boston 25 News | Ted Daniel | November 14, 2025 https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/lawsuit-claims-bpd-commissioner-shielded-officer-lying-charge/4URQJVM5XVGHDHA4P3FMMRWFEA/

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POST Commission declines probe into BPD commissioner despite Read lawyer’s request

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[Source via WCVB 5] BOSTON — The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission has responded to Attorney Alan Jackson’s letter demanding an investigation into Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox over alleged credibility issues related to the Karen Read case. Jackson’s letter previously asked for a “full disciplinary review” of Cox for “dishonesty, lack of candor, and conduct unbecoming of an officer.” However, in a response letter released on Thursday, the POST Commission said the Boston police commissioner is actually a civilian executive and not a sworn law enforcement officer. “According to the City, Commissioner Cox does not personally carry out police duties and functions,” the letter read. “Based in part on this information, the Commission thus far has not required non-sworn civilian executives such as Commissioner Cox to obtain law enforcement certification nor has the Commission treated them as being subject to other statutory and regulatory provisions governing sworn law enforcement officers.” Jackson, who represented Karen Read in the murder trial of John O’Keefe, penned a strongly worded letter to the commission and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Oct. 27, suggesting that Cox not only knew of former officer Kelly Dever but also pressured her to change her testimony in Karen Read’s second trial. Dever, who has since resigned from the Boston Police Department, was a former member of the Canton Police Department and testified that she worked patrol on Jan. 28, 2022, the night before O’Keefe was found in the snow. Jackson demanded Cox be added to the “Brady List,” a national list of police officers whose credibility and conduct have been reasonably questioned in the past. Jackson claimed he obtained new evidence showing Cox knowingly misrepresented his involvement with both Dever and the Read case. NewsCenter 5 has reached out to Jackson for comment about the POST Commission’s response. While there won’t be an investigation for the time being, the POST Commission said they would re-examine their policies regarding civilians involved in overseeing law enforcement agencies.

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Boston’s police oversight board sees ‘widespread refusal’ by officers to cooperate

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[Source via MASSLIVE] In the wake of George Floyd’s killing in 2020 and the civil unrest that followed, many states and local municipalities passed a series of new laws aimed at bringing more transparency and accountability to police departments. Boston created the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) that year — an agency whose Civilian Review Board recently sent a letter to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox stating it has seen “widespread refusal” by officers and employees to engage in interviews or cooperate with investigations. The letter, dated Sept. 11, also states that Cox has “consistently not respected the recommendations made by the [Civilian Review Board] in regards to discipline matters, and some recommendations remain un-responded to for more than a year.”

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Lawsuit claims BPD commissioner shielded officer from lying charge

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[Source via Boston 25 News] A veteran Boston Police Department (BPD) Captain is suing the department’s highest-ranking officials, alleging he was pressured to scrub a finding that a rookie officer lied in a police report and an internal affairs interview. Captain Timothy Gaughan—a 34-year employee of the BPD— filed the suit in Suffolk Superior Court. In it, he claims the directive came indirectly from Police Commissioner Michael Cox. ‘PULL THE F*** OVER’ Gaughan’s complaint stems from an April 21, 2018, incident when he was a Lieutenant Detective in the Internal Affairs Division (IAD). He investigated a confrontation between then-Probationary Officer Bryan Augustine, who was off-duty but in uniform, and a motorist, at the intersection of New Chardon and Merrimac Street. After the traffic incident, Augustine stopped his private vehicle, exited, and allegedly yelled at the other driver to “pull the f*** over” and “get the f*** out”, according to his disciplinary history obtained by 25 Investigates through a public records request. Augustine then prepared a police report that Gaughan’s team determined to be false, specifically to “lay blame for the incident” on the other driver. Augustine’s report claimed he was in the middle lane, not the far-left turn-only lane, and he also misrepresented to a responding officer that the other driver had refused to produce his license and registration. Gaughan’s final IAD report recommended sustaining multiple charges, including “Department Reports-Truthfulness”. THE PHONE CALL Nearly five years later, in February 2023, and after Gaughan had been transferred out of the IAD, Superintendent-in-Chief Philip Owens allegedly telephoned Gaughan and stated he was calling “on behalf of Cox”. Owens requested that Gaughan change the finding of “Department Reports-Truthfulness” to the lesser charge of “Neglect of Duty/Unreasonable Judgement,” and that he alter the narrative to “remove any indication that Augustine lied during his IAD interview,” the suit alleges. According to the lawsuit, Owens stated that a finding of untruthfulness would attract scrutiny from the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission and would likely result in Augustine’s termination. Gaughan claims he refused to change the officer’s dishonest actions in his narrative Former Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Larry Smith who has a master’s in law enforcement administration called the alleged interference “truly troubling,” asking, “why are you interfering with an internal affairs investigation that’s already been resolved”. 13 INTERNAL AFFAIRS CASES Officer Augustine has amassed a significant record since his hiring in 2017, which includes 13 Internal Affairs cases and 26 sustained violations. The Internal Affairs record indicates that Augustine was stopped for “drag racing in Revere” in January 2020, an incident which led to sustained charges of “Conformance to Laws” and “Conduct Unbecoming”. A separate allegation of “association with criminals” from the same incident was not sustained. Augustine’s extensive history culminated in a “Last Chance Settlement Agreement” signed on September 9, 2025, which covered eight of his IA cases, including the 2018 traffic incident. His punishment under the agreement was a 15-day suspension. Augustine faces several charges listed as ‘pending’. ‘RETALIATION’ Gaughan claims that after he refused to fully comply with the request to alter the investigation’s narrative, he faced retaliation that included being bypassed for a promotion to Captain in 2023, despite being ranked number one on the Civil Service eligible list. Gaughan’s promotion was delayed for a year, as a candidate ranked third was promoted instead. The Boston Police Department and Gaughan’s lawyer declined to comment on the pending litigation. Augustine could not be reached for comment. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Police oversight board tells commissioner to stop ignoring its discipline recommendations

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[Source via WBUR] The Boston Police Department’s civilian watchdog board is calling out the police commissioner for consistently ignoring officer discipline recommendations, while also requesting he mandate officers take part in misconduct investigations. The city’s Civilian Review Board for the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT) sent the letter to Commissioner Michael Cox last month. They say they’re “gravely concerned about the widespread refusal” by the department’s officers and employees to participate in interviews and provide documents when asked. It’s the first time the board has issued formal criticisms and recommendations to Cox since the agency was created in 2021. The letter has not been previously reported. The message to Cox follows WBUR reporting that found the commissioner routinely ignores the board’s guidance on disciplinary action for officers. In fact, Cox has fully implemented OPAT’s recommendations for discipline in just one case. He has not responded to the oversight office in eight cases, some of which he’s had on his desk for more than a year. “Boston cannot move forward with a police accountability system that is ignored by police leadership and employees,” the board wrote in the letter. The board urged Cox to establish a response-time policy and to “treat the recommendations from the [Civilian Review Board] with a greater deal of respect, consideration and attention.” It also calls on Cox to stop turning to the department’s own Internal Affairs Division for further investigation after OPAT delivers its findings. Cox did not respond to WBUR’s requests for comment. Mayor Michelle Wu also did not respond to questions about whether she’d urge Cox to make changes. A mayor’s office spokesperson said the city is “constantly working to strengthen partnerships to deepen trust” within Boston communities. “The Office of Police Accountability and Transparency and the Boston Police Department are both key parts in the city’s public safety infrastructure to make Boston the safest major city in the country,” the spokesperson said in a statement.   “Boston cannot move forward with a police accountability system that is ignored by police leadership and employees.” Civilian Review Board letter to Michael Cox OPAT was created through a city ordinance amid calls for police reform after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. A task force convened by then-mayor Marty Walsh recommended the outside agency to investigate citizen complaints against police and review internal police investigations conducted by the department. OPAT “was set up to be an independent body separate from the police department where people in the city of Boston can go if they have complaints about a police officer,” said board member Josh Dankoff. “The whole idea was to have a separate entity undertake these investigations to improve accountability and transparency and ultimately public trust.” Yet discipline recommendations made by OPAT aren’t being implemented. In one case reported previously by WBUR, OPAT found an officer “wrongly targeted” a teenager, allegedly punching the teen in the face with his gun. OPAT recommended that Cox fire the officer. But Cox said he was “not accepting” the office’s recommendations and instead listened to investigators with the police Internal Affairs Division, which said it ultimately could “not prove or disprove the allegation.” The officer was issued only a written reprimand — for violating the department’s body camera policy. He has since been promoted to detective. Board chair Sam Harold said the current system “undermines” the board. “At the end of the day it’s a very simple ask,” he said. “We’re asking the Boston police department to align its practices with the city ordinance and to cooperate fully so that civilian oversight could actually happen because right now without that it’s making it very difficult for us to do our job.” The board also called on Cox to create a “department-wide policy or directive mandating full cooperation with OPAT investigations.” It suggests disciplinary action for officers who don’t participate. The letter specifically notes that the Boston Police Superior Officers Federation and SEIU Local 888, which represents civilian workers, have told OPAT that they don’t advise or require officers to participate in investigations. “When officers refuse to participate, this demonstrates resistance to civilian oversight and directly contradicts the spirit of community-centered reform that the city has publicly committed to,” the board wrote in the letter. The board also urged the Boston City Council to “exercise its authority to ensure these reforms are implemented.” Council President Ruthzee Louijeune applauded the board’s advocacy. “The Civilian Review Board’s letter to Commissioner Cox is an important first step in exercising its authority under Boston’s police accountability ordinance,” she said in a statement. “The concerns raised about non-cooperation with investigations and delayed responses to disciplinary recommendations go to the heart of public trust.” The board’s letter, sent four weeks ago, asked Cox for a prompt response. Dankoff and Harold said, to their knowledge, none had been given. “The CRB takes its job very seriously and we know that the police chief and police officers take their job seriously. And it’s important that we have mutual respect for one another,” Dankoff said.  “But part of that includes having the police chief make policy that ensures that that respect is played out.” “I hope it’s a turning point,” Harold added. “I hope that we can get some change.” Walt Wuthmann contributed to this report. 

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Boston police chief routinely rejects disciplinary recommendations by oversight board

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[Source via WBUR] The sun had already set as three teenage boys wrapped up a basketball game at the Harbor Point apartments, a housing complex that juts out into Dorchester Bay. As they walked home on that cold night in February of 2022, they noticed an unmarked black Ford Explorer following them. They got nervous, the group told investigators, and ducked into the basement of a nearby building. When they exited from the other side, three more black cars “cornered them,” according to an investigation by the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT), Boston’s police oversight body. Police jumped out with guns drawn, the report says, yelling “do not move or we will f—ing shoot you.” One of the teenagers said an officer then tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him. When he sat up he had a large cut across his right eyebrow. In transcripts of body camera footage included in official reports, the detaining officer, Matthew Conley, said, “I literally had the gun in my hand, so I punched him in the face with it.” The oversight agency recommended that Conley be terminated. But Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox refused to fire him. [To continue reading article click here]

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25 Investigates: Boston’s police transparency unit is opaque

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[Source via Boston25News] BOSTON — The city of Boston’s website that promises data on police complaints, arrests, interactions with youth and use of force is page full of broken links, making information inaccessible to the public, 25 Investigates finds. We discovered this after starting off on a different story. 25 Investigates frequently files public records requests to get important information to our viewers, provide context to stories, and identify trends. December 15, 2023, we filed a request with the city of Boston’s Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, or OPAT. 25 Investigates asked OPAT for all complaints it had received about officers and reasons for the disposition of each complaint. Massachusetts state law requires agencies to acknowledge receipt of public records requests with 10 business days and soon after provide a timeline to provide them and cost estimate if applicable. [To continue reading article click here]

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Boston’s police oversight office has yet to uphold a single civilian complaint

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[Source via GBH] Nearly two years after its executive director was hired, and roughly one year after it began to operate in earnest, Boston’s Office of Police Accountability and Transparency has yet to sustain any civilian complaints against the Boston Police Department or to issue subsequent recommendations for disciplinary action, according to a review of city data by GBH News. A data dashboard on the office’s website says that in 2022 OPAT, as the office is widely known, received 56 complaints from civilians about the BPD, which employs more than 2,000 officers, and that 21 of those complaints were deemed lacking. But according to a city spokesperson, that doesn’t include more than two dozen complaints that were quickly dismissed upon initial review rather than being sent to OPAT’s Civilian Review Board for deeper consideration. When those are included, the spokesperson said, the tally of complaints received in 2022 rises to 89. Thirty-five complaints are still pending. The Boston Police Department, which maintains an alternate mechanism through which civilians can file complaints for review by the BPD, told GBH News it received 126 citizen complaints in 2022 and has sustained two of them. As a matter of policy, OPAT does not investigate cases that are already being pursued by the BPD. [To continue reading article click here]

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Boston Book Festival BBF: Roxbury Edition Oct. 13

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In partnership with: Frugal Bookstore 57 Warren St. Roxbury (Dudley Sq.) October 13 |  11:00am–4:00pm Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building 2300 Washington St. We are thrilled to be working with many of Roxbury’s leading cultural and educational institutions—including the Boston Public Library, the Roxbury Cultural District, and Frugal Bookstore—to bring the first-ever edition of the Boston Book Festival to the neighborhood. Mark your calendar for October 13, 2018. All events are completely free! For more information: https://bostonbookfest.org/roxbury/

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