Boston Council Presses Police Oversight Office on Eight Unresolved Misconduct Findings

BOSTON — May 18, 2026 — Boston's civilian police oversight office told the City Council's Ways and Means Committee that eight sustained misconduct findings against Boston Police Department officers remain unaddressed by Commissioner Michael Cox, prompting calls for an ordinance amendment. Executive Director Evandro Carvalho and Deputy Director Esther Lane appeared before Chair Ben Weber and five colleagues at the May 18 fiscal year 2027 budget hearing for the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, disclosing that Cox has responded to several of the eight cases only by referring them back to the Internal Affairs Division for further investigation — a practice OPAT's Civilian Review Board says the agency's enabling ordinance does not permit. Councillor Ruthzee Louijeune pressed Carvalho on whether a fixed 30- or 45-day response deadline should be written into the ordinance, warning "there is no point to this, to the song and dance" if the commissioner can simply ignore CRB recommendations. Councillor Tania Fernandes Anderson Culpepper argued the ordinance should be clarified to bar IAD from overturning OPAT fact-findings, comparing the current arrangement to a retrial rather than appellate review. Carvalho confirmed OPAT issued its first-ever subpoena on February 12 and that compliance has been partial, with enforcement procedures still being worked out with the city's law department.