Boston council launches probe into ‘emergency’ police staffing crisis
A probe into what city councilors on Wednesday called a "public safety and public health emergency" within the Boston Police Department is moving forward, as the policymakers warned a yearslong surge in retirements, resignations and forced overtime has pushed force ranks to a breaking point.
The warnings come as Boston police officers remain among the city's highest‑paid employees. City payroll data showed the 54 top-paid city workers in 2025 were all members of the Boston Police Department, many of whom earned tens of thousands of dollars in overtime and detail pay alone, some more than $200,000.
Boston Police Capt. Timothy Connolly topped this list, earning $498,195 in 2025, followed closely by several other captains and lieutenants, such as Lt. Stanley Demesmin with $490,239 and Capt. Michael Hegarty with $488,434.
Demesmin also brought home $236,961 in overtime pay in 2025, more than any other employee and one of five who earned more than $200,000 in overtime. He was also the No. 1 overtime pay recipient in 2024 and 2023 .
Councilors on Wednesday argued those soaring earnings are not evidence of excess, but of a force stretched so thin that extra work is unavoidable.
Halfway through the Boston City Council meeting Wednesday afternoon, councilors Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy said officers are burnt out, families are strained and neighborhoods may feel the impact as the department slips far below the long‑established 2,500‑officer benchmark.
"The standing issues of understaffing, overstretched resources, forced overtime and looming retirements at Boston Police is a public safety and public health emergency," said Councilor Ed Flynn, who oversees District 2 including parts of Downtown, South Boston and the South End.
"Current staff is ordered to fill those gaps, resulting in the physical and emotional burnout of officers and a potentially diminished ability to serve the residents," Flynn said.
He cited an increase in department resignations — from one in 2018 to 30 in 2022 — along with an increase in voluntary retirements over the same time period from 17 to 127.
Flynn argued Boston actually needs more than 2,500 officers at all times, referencing a law set in 1980 that set that number as a minimum to ensure "adequate staffing among detailing, projects and other police duties."
"They are working mandatory overtime 17 hours a day, missing significant time with their families, not always being treated with respect," Flynn said.
"We have to restore that respect for the profession to keep morale up."
The Boston Police Department did not respond to MassLive for comment Thursday, including to confirm its current headcount.
Murphy told fellow municipal policymakers that the hearing is "about one thing: public safety." Current circumstances are "not sustainable," she said, and leads to burnout for officers, which directly impacts them, their families "and the people they serve."
Furthermore, officers who feel supported are "more likely to have positive interactions with the public" and build better neighborhood relations.
Both councilors said the city must overhaul how it recruits and retains officers, pointing to the need for "a consistent influx of recruits" to replace those retiring or leaving the department.
Flynn said Boston should expand "mentorship programs, incentive programs (and) community outreach" to attract new officers, while Murphy stressed that the city needs to understand why officers are leaving and what would keep them on the job.
Flynn and Murphy filed an order to request a formal hearing on the matter, which was subsequently co-sponsored by at least eight other councilors. Council President Liz Breadon sent the proposal to the council's Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice.
"This hearing is about getting real answers — where are we today, where are we headed and what is the plan?" Murphy said.
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