Boston Council Scrutinizes OPAT Budget, Disciplinary Follow-Through on Police Complaints

BOSTON -- May 5, 2025, Boston City Council presses police oversight office on independence, discipline, and unspent funds. The Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by Councilor Brian Worrell, held an FY26 budget hearing Monday for the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, where Executive Director Evandro Carvalho, marking his one-year anniversary in the role, reported a record 144 complaints in 2024 and 86 active investigations, but acknowledged that of all sustained cases sent to BPD Commissioner Michael Cox, only two resulted in action, both oral reprimands. Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Councilor Julia M. Mejia, a co-sponsor of the original OPAT ordinance, pressed Carvalho on whether the commissioner's unchecked final disciplinary authority undermines the agency's independence. Mejia also raised concerns that a board applicant withdrew after feeling interview questions screened for administration-friendly candidates, telling Carvalho, "We are looking for people who are willing to be adversarial, because we need that." Councilor Edward M. Flynn requested a full accounting of consultant contracts since the agency's 2022 founding, with Carvalho estimating roughly $40,000 in consultant spending in the most recent budget alone.