Boston Council Presses Police Commissioner on Overtime, Nubian Square at FY27 Budget Hearing

BOSTON -- May 7, 2026, Boston City Council's Ways and Means Committee questioned Police Commissioner Michael Cox over chronic overtime overruns, Nubian Square conditions, and FIFA-related crime risks at the department's FY27 budget hearing Thursday. Committee Chair Benjamin J. Weber convened the morning session with nine colleagues present and a letter of absence from Councillor Julia M. Mejia. Public commenter Gregory Maynard of the Boston Policy Institute said BPD has overspent its overtime budget by between $33.8 million and $68.5 million every year since FY23, projecting a roughly $48.7 million overrun in FY26 against a $55 million budgeted line, calling the figure "grossly inaccurate." Councillor Miniard Culpepper and Roxbury residents Antonia Edwards and Asia Jackson challenged Cox's characterization of improving conditions in Nubian Square, with Edwards telling the panel, "I don't know who you talked to, there's not a business or a person in Roxbury that's happy with the conditions." Cox reported 2,102 sworn officers on duty with 132 recruits in the academy, 153 sworn vacancies, and a personnel services increase from $427 million to $431 million driven by collective bargaining settlements; the proposed non-personnel contractual line falls from $57 million to $54 million.