By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | August 23, 2006
A group of political and neighborhood activists filed a lawsuit yesterday asking the court to force Mayor Thomas M. Menino to hire about 400 additional police officers to comply with a 1979 city ordinance requiring that Boston have a police force of at least 2,500.
The department this year has about 2,100 officers, and hasn't had 2,500 in at least a decade.
``We just feel like they're really falling short," said Barry Mullen, who runs the Florida Corridor Neighborhood Association in Dorchester, a group behind the suit. ``I have not had anybody tell me they don't want more police officers on the streets."
Police staffing levels have been an issue of constant debate as the city grapples with a spike in violent crime. Menino announced in June that he is adding 140 police officers this year, a net increase of about 92 after accounting for officers scheduled to retire. Four city councilors voted against this year's budget because they wanted Menino to add more police to the class. The nine remaining votes were enough to pass the budget.
The suit, which also names the City Council as a defendant, because it approved Menino's budget proposal, was filed in Suffolk Superior Court.
The ordinance passed by the City Council in 1979 said that the department must have at least 2,300 officers by July 1, 1979, and at least 2,500 officers by July 1, 1980. It also said that the department in the future could add more officers, but that there had to always be at least 2,500.
City officials argued yesterday that because then-mayor Kevin H. White did not sign the ordinance, it was nonbinding. Even though most ordinances automatically become law if the mayor takes no action, a city attorney said that the ordinance calls for a departmental reorganization, which cannot be executed without the mayor's explicit consent.
``By mandating staffing levels, it would deprive the police commissioner of the ability to appoint, establish, and maintain the Police Department," said William F. Sinnott, the city's corporation counsel. ``And any reorganization of a department must have the approval of the mayor."
Posted by: JoninNH
Interesting...
Posted by: NFAfan
But but but.........what about the overtime?
If you think hiring 400 new cops wouldn't put the squeeze on a lot of paychecks, you're crazy!!!
Posted by: DodgeRam
Boston should temporally drop civil service just to bump up its numbers.
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops
About MassCops, the home for Massachusetts law enforcement.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network opened in 1998 and is now a part of the New England Police Network The site is a pro-police discussion forum intended for sworn police officers and civilian law enforcement officials as well as those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement here in Massachusetts.
The goal of The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network is to provide an informal network of law enforcement officials here in Massachusetts for educational and informational purposes.
The forum covers many topics such as Police Related News Articles, Agency & Profession Discussions, Police Training as well as Law Enforcement Career Information.
The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network and The New England Police Network (NEPN) and it's network sites are privately owned websites/domains and are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government association or agency.
MassCops (masscops.com) and (masscop.com) are privately owned are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Massachusetts Coalition of Police (masscop.org)
ma police, boston ma police, massachusetts police, massachusetts police, mass state police, mass police, ma, mass, massachusetts, massachusetts, massachutes, massachusetts law, massachusetts polece, police, officer, police officer, cops, police gear, law enforcement, police duty gear, state police, sheriff, law, police supply, police agency directory, police agency, police department, traffic officer, police dept, state trooper, dispatcher, massachusetts county sheriff, massachusetts sheriff, massachusetts department of corrections, ma doc, doc, dept of corrections, police information, civil service, ma civil service, massachusetts crime, police training, police academy, ma police academy, massachusetts officers, masscop, masscops, mpa, bpa, ibpoa, police association, massachusetts police news, massachusetts crime news, mass most wanted, police career information, police patrol, police administration, police books, crime scene training, police discussion, crime discussions, cops