Mayor Walsh petitions for Boston residents to have priority within BPD hires

BOSTON — Mayor Marty Walsh filed a home rule petition with the Boston City Council on Tuesday asking for an amendment to the civil service rules that govern the Boston Police’s hiring process.

The new recommendation came last week from the Boston Police Reform Task Force after meeting for four months to discuss the next steps in police reform in the city.

“We’ve been pushing for a civilian review secondly, also to combat this notion that Boston doesn’t have any problems. We’re all great here. Nothing to see here,” said Community activist Jamarhl Crawford, who is also part of the task force.

Existing state law provides preferences for disabled veterans, veterans, and the widows or widowed mothers of veterans.

This special act will create a new preference category for Boston residents who graduated from a school in the city.

“For me, it’s twofold,” said BPD Sgt. Eddy Chrispin who is president of MA. Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers and a task force member. “You’re giving these kids an opportunity who may have come from meager means, and also you are now bringing it into the police department and changing the face of the department.”

The committee is getting some push back from people who feel this could hurt the department if a police officer isn’t from Boston but moved there to graduate.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find people who are coming in to attend a Boston Public School just for the sake of gaming the residency requirement. It’s just doesn’t happen,” said Sgt. Chrispin. “Some police officers may be resistant to the change at the end of the day is going to make us a better Police Department. We’re going to engage the public in a better way, and I think people will look at us less with an eye of suspicion.”

“There’s a normal reaction to change which a lot of times is fear and people don’t want any changes,” said Crawford. “Why would you? It’s been working so great for you and your ilk. Well the goal there is to increase the diversity and to actually have a force that, may shock of the world, reflects the people that they actually serve.”

If passed by the Boston City Council, the petition will then go to the Massachusetts State House, where it must also be passed. The full recommendations of the Boston Police Reform Task Force can be found here.

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