Special to the Patriot-Bridge
Boston City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata sponsored a Home Rule Petition that would increase the maximum age requirement for entrance to the Boston Police Academy from 40 to 45. The matter ultimately passed with eleven votes in the affirmative. Two Councilors were absent during the vote. This crucial measure will help fill personnel shortages in the Boston Police Department, reduce overtime spending, and decrease police officer burnout due to limited capacities. Co-sponsors of the petition include Councilor At-Large Henry Santana and Councilor Enrique Pepen (District 5) of Hyde Park.
Currently, individuals over the maximum age requirement must petition the Boston City Council and State Legislature through a special law to gain consideration for the Boston Police Academy. The Boston City Council has had dozens of petitions come before the body in the past year. In 2007, then Councilor Michael Flaherty sponsored a similar home rule petition to increase the maximum age requirement to forty years. The Council and Legislature ultimately passed the measure.
“The current age requirement is an administrative barrier that limits willing and able individuals who have demonstrated their dedication and admiration to police officers from having the opportunity to join the force. Instead of doing one home rule petition and a wage waiver after another, this Home Rule Petition allows individuals to overcome this administrative barrier and seek consideration to enter the Boston Police Academy,” said Councilor Coletta Zapata. “This is one of the measures we can use to help fill much needed public safety capacity as we continue to expand our efforts to recruit and hire individuals. Thank you to my colleagues for their partnership.”
“With the Home Rule Petition to raise the maximum age requirement for the Boston Police Academy now in effect, we need to take the necessary steps to realize that with maturity, sound judgment, discipline, and physical fitness are necessary characteristics for our officers, regardless of age. We need to expand the eligibility and open doors to individuals with a wealth of diverse experiences. This will help address recruitment challenges and strengthen our commitment to improving public safety in Boston,” said Councilor Enrique Pepen (District 5).
“Boston is facing challenges in ensuring that all our neighborhoods have the necessary police presence to deliver effective community safety services,” said Councilor Henry Santana, who is a co-sponsor on the home rule petition, and serves as Chair of the Committee on Public Safety & Criminal Justice. “We’re continuing to work to grow younger cadet recruitment, but raising the Police Academy age limit — while still maintaining all of the Academy’s rigorous requirements — will not only help address labor shortages, it also opens the door for highly-qualified, motivated, and experienced individuals to join our force,” Santana continued. “Often these are individuals who bring wisdom and unique perspectives to serving our city, drawing from a broader range of professional and lived experience, with beneficial and transferable skills.”
The Committee on Government Operations held a hearing on September 9 regarding the petition. Lisa O’Brien, Bureau Chief of Administration and Technology at the Boston Police Department, testified favorably on behalf of the administration about raising the age limit. The administration shared Police Commissioner Cox’s support for the petition and highlighted that increasing the age requirement could potentially assist the City’s efforts to recruit more police candidates.
During the hearing, there was broad consensus among Councilors about increasing the maximum age and using the measure to help fill personnel shortages in the Boston Police Department. Councilors heard public testimony from the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Union, Latino Law Enforcement Group of Boston, and petitioners who have gone through the waiver process. Additionally, the administration and the Council agreed to work collaboratively to address concerns regarding the impacts raising the maximum age could have on an officer’s pension, such as providing disclaimers or raising the retirement age for those individuals.
The Home Rule Petition now goes to the Mayor and the State Legislature for approval.