Boston City Council Safety Hearing Stalls as Key Department Heads Fail to Appear

BOSTON — January 28, 2025 — Boston's City Council hearing on large-event public safety was undermined Tuesday by the absence of four of seven invited administration officials. Sponsored by Councillors Erin J. Murphy, Edward M. Flynn, and Enrique J. Pepén and convened under Docket No. 0163, the hearing was meant to bring Police Commissioner Michael Cox, Fire Commissioner Paul Burke, EMS Chief James Hooley, and Chief of Streets Joshua Franklin Hodge before the council to discuss safety protocols, physical barriers, and inter-agency coordination at major events. Only OEM Deputy Director Matthew Kearney, Chief of Emergency Preparedness Adrian Jordan, Boston Police Captain Tim Connolly, and private consultant Ed Cash of Frontier Security Strategies appeared. Flynn called the no-shows "a reflection on the body," while Murphy said the absence made a "productive hearing" impossible and promised to reschedule with all commissioners present. Captain Connolly acknowledged Boston Police is understaffed for large events, confirming officers are regularly ordered in on their days off to meet minimum district manning levels across the city's 11 districts.