Boston Council Hears BPD Footage Rules as Police Leadership Skips Hearing

BOSTON — April 7, 2026 — Boston City Council presses BPD over body camera release policy with no police leadership present. The Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice held a hearing Tuesday on Docket No. 0638, convened by Chair Henry Santana after sponsors Councilor Erin Murphy and Councilor Brian Worrell raised concerns that BPD has no defined public timeline for releasing footage after critical incidents. BPD General Counsel Dave Frederick disclosed that the department received approximately 800 body camera requests in 2025, releasing roughly 500 and denying the remainder under public records exemptions for active investigations, privacy, and statutory protections. Frederick confirmed that footage from a current officer-involved death referred to a Suffolk County grand jury will not be released under any request while the grand jury is seated, citing Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 38, Section 4. OPAT Executive Director Evandro Carvalho, testifying in a second panel, said OPAT is in a monitoring posture until the criminal case concludes, and pointed to Chicago's COPA policy — which mandates footage release within 60 calendar days — as a model Boston should examine. Councilor Murphy said, "When responsibility is unclear, trust breaks down."