Council Rejects Police Residency Waiver, Approves Retired-Officer Paid Details

City Council · Meeting of August 5, 2026

Boston City Council rejects police residency waiver, 9-3, but backs paid details for retired officers. Councilor Edward M. Flynn's residency measure fell after Julia M.

Mejia, Miniard Culpepper, Sharon Durkan and Benjamin J. Weber argued it would undercut community policing amid a shortfall of roughly 600 officers from the city's 2,500-officer minimum. "When you're tired, you make mistakes," Flynn said, citing 16-hour shifts.

A companion resolution backing paid details for retired officers passed 9-0-3-present. Separately, the council voted 11-0-1 to urge the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department to place officers on leave following a homicide ruling in the December death of Jacobi Kenney, and voted 12-0 on an emergency resolution opposing ICE's reported bid for 250 downtown parking spaces. The council also gave final approval to $5 million for Madison Park Technical Vocational High School design work and $850,000 for repairs at five schools, and referred a Transdev school-bus oversight resolution to committee after Councilor Julia Mejia objected to state takeover language.

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Source: the City Council meeting of August 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.