Boston’s new police contract is getting good reviews from members of the city’s Boston’s Black community.
“I know there are individuals that are going to say this is not perfect. And it’s absolutely not perfect but this is definitely progress,” said former City Councilor Tito Jackson.
A group of community leaders met with Mayor Michelle Wu at City Hall Wednesday.
They credited her and Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Patrolmen’s Union, for reaching an agreement that establishes higher standards of accountability for officers.
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The new contract includes new standards related to discipline and the treatment of officers found breaking the law. Under the five-year deal, an officer disciplined or terminated because of criminal offenses cannot use arbitration to overturn or delay those rulings. They include indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, felony for hire, mayhem, assault with intent to murder or maim and hate crimes.
And while the contract doesn’t address the issue of excessive police force directly, the group believes the five-year labor agreement is a big step in the right direction.
“We’re going to continue push for more transparency, and for more involvement in the processes moving forward. But let’s just take a minute to revel in this moment,” said Rahsaan Hall, president of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.
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The new contract is silent regarding excessive force police, a major issue for the city’s communities of color. But the mayor says it’s all part of the give-and-take of negotiations and has promised it’ll be a focus of the next labor contract.
"Even though it didn’t end up on the list for this particular contract, we understand that and hear very much that this is a priority for every type of interaction that our offices have with residents," the mayor added.
The contract also includes pay raises, totaling more than $80 million.
The mayor hopes the City Council will approve this deal with police in the next several weeks. The city still has three outstanding labor agreements it’s looking to settle.
