Boston Council Grills Police Commissioner on Overtime Overruns and Nubian Square Safety

BOSTON — May 7, 2026 — Boston City Council pressed Police Commissioner Michael Cox on chronic overtime overruns and deteriorating conditions in Nubian Square at a May 7 Ways and Means budget hearing on the department's proposed $431 million FY27 personnel budget. Gregory Maynard of the Boston Policy Institute testified that BPD has overspent its overtime budget by between 77 and 154 percent in each of the past four fiscal years under Mayor Michelle Wu, with FY26 on track to exceed the $55 million overtime appropriation by roughly $48.7 million. Roxbury resident Antonia Edwards, one of several public commenters, flatly contradicted Commissioner Cox's characterization of improving conditions near Nubian Square: "There's not a business or a person in Roxbury that's happy with the conditions." O'Brien reported the department currently carries 153 sworn vacancies and 94 civilian vacancies, with an active academy class that began at 152 recruits and has reached a 14 percent attrition rate. The department reported 2025 as the lowest year for gunfire incidents since records began in 2011, with 871 firearms recovered by officers.