►
Description
Mayor Wu hosts a press conference to announce her Boston Police Department (BPD) Commissioner Search Committee, a group of public safety professionals and community leaders who will assist in decision-making around the selection of the next BPD Commissioner.
Through a comprehensive, efficient, and community-led process with clear timelines over the next few months, the BPD Commissioner Search Committee will ensure that the permanent commissioner will bring true accountability and deliver for all residents of Boston.
A
Thank
you
for
joining
us
this
morning
at
boston
city
hall.
I
am
so
honored
to
stand
with
this
group
of
community
leaders,
public
servants,
those
who
are
deeply
intertwined
with
the
city
of
boston
and
thank
five
of
them
for
serving
as
serving
on
our
police.
Commissioner
search
today,
we
are
officially
announcing
the
members
of
this
committee
who
will
work
on
behalf
of
boston
residents
to
identify
the
next
police.
A
A
So
our
search
committee
members
will
the
committee
will
be
chaired
by
justice,
geraldine,
hines,
retired
justice
of
the
massachusetts
supreme
judicial
court.
Justice
heinz
brings
a
lifetime
of
experience
as
a
judge,
a
public
defender
and
an
advocate,
and
we
are
counting
on
her
wisdom
and
judgment
to
lead.
This
committee
she'll
be
joined
by
ed
davis,
former
commissioner
of
the
boston
police
department,
who
led
this
department
for
seven
years
and
has
been
a
trusted
partner
for
this
city
and
has
advised
police
departments
across
the
country
and
public
safety
officials.
A
There's
no
one
who
knows
this
job:
better.
Bishop,
william
e
dickerson
senior,
pastor
at
greater
love,
tabernacle
church
bishop
is
known
across
boston
for
his
leadership
in
the
faith
community.
His
deep
ties
to
our
neighborhoods,
his
long
history
of
activism,
on
behalf
of
our
residents
and
as
the
former
chaplain
to
the
boston
police
department
as
well,
so
grateful
to
have
his
help
and
guidance
abroad.
A
Forester
executive
director
of
teen
empowerment,
abergal,
has
worked
directly
every
day
with
boston's
young
people,
seeing
firsthand
the
trauma
caused
by
violence
and
his
commitment
to
restorative
justice
and
his
push
to
ensure
that
those
working
in
our
community
organizations
and
our
young
people
are
seen
valued
and
treasured.
As
an
example
for
all
of
us
and
professor
jasmine
gonzalez
rose
of
boston,
university
law,
school
and
the
bu
center
for
anti-racist
research,
professor
gonzalez
rose
has
spent
her
career,
studying
how
systemic
racism
and
disparities
impact,
law
enforcement
and
other
institutions.
A
We
are
lucky
to
be
guided
by
her
expertise
and
passion
for
justice.
Again.
We're
also
joined
by
superintendent
in
chief
and
acting
commissioner
greg
long,
who
has
been
a
partner
during
these
last
weeks
and
doing
a
job
that
he
never
thought
with
deep
commitment
and
resolve.
And
so
we
know
he
will
continue
to
be
a
partner
and
advisor
and
help
work
with
this
committee
to
identify
a
permanent
commissioner,
I'm
personally
so
grateful
to
him
for
seeing
this
process
through.
A
A
Violent
crime
in
2021
was
down
15
percent
from
2020
and
property
crime
down.
13
percent
homicides
continue
to
decrease
as
well
with
40
homicides
in
2021
down
from
56
the
year
before.
Although
we
know
that
any
single
act
of
violence
in
our
city
and
in
our
neighborhoods
is
one
too
many
and
unacceptable,
we
are
committed
to
building
a
public
safety
infrastructure
that
addresses
the
root
causes
of
violence
and
trauma.
A
The
next
leader
of
this
department
will
be
a
critical
partner
in
building
that
infrastructure,
and
so
over
the
coming
weeks,
there'll
be
many
opportunities
for
boston
residents
to
weigh
in
on
the
process.
The
first
two
community
meetings
will
take
place
virtually
on
thursday
january
20th,
at
6
pm
and
wednesday
january
26
at
12
p.m.
A
More
sessions
will
be
announced
soon,
including
opportunities
for
this
committee
to
sit
privately
with
various
stakeholder
groups,
including
our
officers,
community
members
and
leaders
in
the
community
to
attend
these
two
listening
sessions
that
I've
just
announced.
You
can
register
at
boston.gov
bpd,
commissioner,
with
insights
from
the
community.
The
search
committee
will
review
potential
candidates
and
work
with
our
team
to
make
an
informed
decision,
centering,
public
health
reform
and
trust
in
recommending
candidates
together.
A
I
know
that
we
can
create
a
public
safety
infrastructure
in
boston
that
serves
the
entire
city
and
delivers
the
change
that
we
need.
I
am
so
excited
to
begin
this
work
while
we
are
here
and
before
I
pass
it
over
to
each
of
the
committee
members,
I'm
going
to
take
a
moment
to
talk
about
the
snowstorm
and
then
make
sure
that
I
am
giving
these
remarks
in
spanish
as
well,
because
of
the
snow
that
we
are
expected
to
see
tomorrow
morning
during
the
commute
and
potentially
coming
down
heavily
at
that
time.
A
A
B
C
C
This
is
a
challenging
time
for
police
and
community,
and
our
cities
are
doing
an
incredible
job
in
working
through
very
difficult
problems.
Transparency,
a
strong
connection
with
the
community
understanding
what
the
community
is
expecting
from
police
and
reform
of
our
practices
is
something
that's
extremely
necessary
in
this
day
and
age.
And
so
I
look
forward
to
being
able
to
identify
individuals
from
across
the
country
who
may
be
able
to
bring
those
characteristics
to
this
position
and
to
make
boston
continue
to
be
one
of
the
best
police
departments
in
the
country.
C
Commissioner
long
has
has
kept
the
crime
rate
down.
There's
been
some
success
that
other
cities
across
the
country
are
not
seeing
that
the
challenges
they're
facing
are
much
more
complicated
and
and
the
crime
rate
is
rising,
and
so
it's
very
important
for
the
citizens
of
the
city
to
maintain
their
safety
and,
at
the
same
time,
have
a
police
department,
that's
accountable
and
and
transparent,
and
working
very
closely
with
them.
So
I'm
thrilled
to
be
involved
in
this
looking
forward
to
it.
Thank
you.
D
I
thank
you
all
mayor
wu
and
thank
you
acting
commissioner
long
and
for
those
that
have
been
working
hard
to
strengthen
the
structural
integrity
of
the
boston
police
department
and
to
think
about
reform
moving
forward.
I
know,
as
we
see
numbers
go
down
in
terms
of
violence.
You
wonder
why
is
there
yet
problems?
Well,
we
need
a
commissioner.
I
believe
that
could
help
us
to
bridge
some
of
the
gaps
to
be
a
bridge
builder
throughout
the
communities
in
boston.
D
We
have
a
lot
of
diverse
issues,
a
lot
of
diverse
communities
that
come
together
when
they're
dealing
with
certain
problems
within
the
community
within
the
city,
and
I
think
that,
as
we
have
work
together
and
the
times
past,
we
need
to
build
upon
positive
things
that
can
help
us
move
forward.
So
we
need
to
do
that
from
a
lens
of
equity,
a
lens
of
integrity
and
a
lens
of
accountability,
and
I'm
confident
that
we
have
a
good
chairperson,
that's
in
place
that
can
help
us
to
vet
potential
candidates,
for
so
as
we
have.
D
E
I've
also
experienced
some
of
the
highest
levels
of
conflict
between
communities
of
color
and
law
enforcement
from
the
busing
era
to
the
impact
of
the
charles
stewart
case,
I'm
committed
to
elevating
the
voices
of
young
people
in
this
community-led
process
to
reimagine
our
public
safety
systems
from
the
ground
up.
The
diversity
of
experiences
on
this
search
committee
is
an
opportunity
for
all
of
us
to
build
a
better
future
for
youth
and
families
dealing
with
criminal
justice
issues
in
this
community.
E
I
look
forward
to
thinking
about
who
we
bring
on
board
as
the
next
commissioner
at
the
core
of
the
work
that
I
do
with
young
people
at
teen
empowerment.
We
talk
about
values
and
beliefs,
and
I
think
that
one
of
the
core
tenets
of
what
we
need
to
look
for
in
our
next
commissioner
is
someone
who
has
the
values
and
beliefs
of
community
reform
and
reimagining
the
system
that
we
currently
see
as
being
somewhat
broken.
E
F
A
So
this
is
why
the
process
has
been
set
up.
How
it
is
is
that
it's
not
going
to
be
around
one
individual
person's
decision
of
what
attributes
we're
looking
for
or
what
connection
I
have
with
someone.
The
first
phase
of
this
process
truly
will
be
listening
to
the
community,
and
so
we
will
receive
all
of
that
feedback,
and
it
is
the
residents
of
boston
who
will
determine
what
attributes.
Our
next
police,
commissioner,
must
have.
A
Yeah,
I
hope
it's
by
spring.
You
know
we
will
move
as
quickly
as
possible,
but
do
this
in
a
very
comprehensive
and
thorough
way
step.
One
is
to
really
listen
in
community
public
with
the
general
public,
as
well
as
with
key
stakeholder
groups
like
officers.
We
look
forward
to
inviting
in
mem
leo
and
jaego
and
other
organizations,
our
police
unions,
as
well
as
well
as
community
members
representing
various
advocacy
groups
and
stakeholders.
H
Opec
is
up
and
running,
it
has
been
up
and
running.
We
have
staff,
we're
currently
hiring
more
staff.
You
can
look
on
boston.gov
and
boston.gov
oppat
and
find
out
more
information.
We
just
found
out
some
emu
report
last
week,
so
you
can
look
on
that
to
see
what
we
have
been
up
to
for
the
past
six
seven
months,
but
we
have
been
up
and
running.
I
have
a
chief
of
staff,
a
deputy
director.
We
are
hiring
for
intake
workers
and
currently
looking
for
a
data
analyst.
G
A
Okay,
so
the
question
was:
what
are
some
specific
reforms
we're
looking
to
make
in
the
police
department?
Overall,
you
mean
once
the
new
commissioner's
in
place.
Okay,
I
had
in
the
course
of
many
months,
listening
and
being
out
in
community
over
the
campaign
trail
put
together
some
suggestions
and
parameters
around
places
that
we
need
to
be
thinking
about
our
next
contracts
and
collective
bargaining
agreements,
as
well
as
larger
reforms.
For
me,
the
bottom
line
is
public
safety
and
public
health
are
deeply
interconnected
and
every
way
that
we
run
our
police
department
should
reflect
that.
A
A
So
we
continue
to
explore
what
the
city
should
be
doing.
Around
alternative
response
to
crisis
calls
9-1-1
calls
that
come
in
changes
to
how
the
contracts
may
reflect
accountability
and
overtime
decisions
and
larger
ways
in
which
the
city
of
boston
is
implementing.
Some
of
the
recent
legislation
coming
out
of
the
city
council
around
public
safety
as
well.
A
The
question
is:
are
there
any
specific
instructions
to
the
committee
I'll
ask
the
committee
members
if
they
want
to
come
up
at
all,
but
it's
been
very
broad
right.
We
truly
mean
it
when
this
first
step
is
listening
to
community
members
and
sourcing
that
feedback
from
across
boston
to
define
the
parameters
that
we'll
be
basing
the
search
on
you
know
for
me,
of
course,
this
person
will
need
to
be
a
key
partner
that
is
part
of
our
overall
team
and
fits
in
with
our
larger
cabinet.
A
Nothing
has
been
decided,
there's
no
bias
going
in
towards
any
type
of
candidate.
This
leader
will
need
to
be
aligned
in
the
vision
that
boston
residents
put
forward
around
what
we
need
for
our
department
and
be
skilled
and
have
demonstrated
experience
in
building
community
trusts.
But
we
will.
We
will
follow
the
the
guidance
of
our
residents
in
setting
those
parameters
and
then
connect
with
individual
candidates
from
there
both
locally
and
nationally.
G
A
We
are
in
the
midst
of
a
very
significant
surge
of
the
omicron
variant
and
of
covert
19.,
whether
or
not
the
state
changes
their
policy
on
remote
learning.
Sorry,
whether
or
not
the
state
changes
their
policy
on
in-person
learning
as
the
only
option
we
are
approaching
the
point
at
which
specific
boston
schools
may
need
to
close
for,
with
or
without
remote
learning
in
some
schools.
A
Forty
percent
plus
of
staff
are
absent
because
of
coping
19
and
we're
evaluating
hour
by
hour
with
each
school
leader
about
what
is
feasible,
but
it
is
getting
to
the
point
with
staffing
that
it
is.
It
is
quite
difficult
in
in
some
schools
we're
having
central
office
pitch
in
and
teaching
even
in
some
cases,
so
it
may
get
to
the
point
where
we
will
need
to
move
to
a
snow
day
with
or
without
snow
that,
according
to
the
state's
policy.
G
A
Just
to
clarify
on
that
what
I
mean
by
snow
day,
the
current
policy
is
that
only
in-person
days
count
towards
the
required
number
of
school
days
that
the
boston,
public
schools
and
all
of
our
schools
must
reach.
And
so,
if
we
are
unable
to
staff
a
school,
even
if
we
offer
remote
learning
on
that
day,
we,
according
to
the
current
policy,
need
to
treat
it
as
if
it
were
snow
day
and
therefore
be
made
up
at
the
end
of
the
year.
If
we
run
through
our
allotted
snow
day,
allow
allotment.
G
A
D
I
think
sometimes
we
underestimate
the
level
of
concern
and
intellect
of
the
average
citizen
in
boston
and
especially
those
within
a
city.
I
don't
think
that
they
will
be
intimidated
by
the
process
of
what
what
we're
talking
about
today
and
you
know,
a
bigger
scale.
I
think
that
they
just
want
the
best
candidate,
and
I
think
that
we
present
the
best
candidate.
Then
we
have,
we
can't
predict
the
future.
We
just
have
to
move
forward
and
work
with
them.
E
There's
not
much,
I
can
say
to
this
question.
I
think
pastor
dixon
answered
it
correctly.
However,
when
we
talk
about
popularity,
I
don't
think
transformative.
Justice
is
ever
popular
right
when
you
start
thinking
about
reimagining
systems
that
have
been
the
longest
standing
system
in
this
country,
which
is
bpd
in
law
enforcement.
To
think
about
how
we
reimagine
relationships
between
community
and
law
enforcement
is
going
to
be
a
challenge.
A
And
I'll
decide
again,
because
we
are
grounding
this
search
in
the
feedback
and
lived
experiences
and
recommendations
of
our
boston
residents
through
listening.
First,
the
leader
that
we
choose
will
be
aligned
with
that
vision
and
those
values,
and
we
will
continue
making
sure
that
boston
is
the
best
safest,
healthiest
strongest
possible
city.
We
can
be.
A
I
want
to
thank
so
many
of
our
city
departments
who
were
up
early
on
a
snow
emergency
management
call
just
to
check
in
across
the
cabinet.
Our
public
works
department
has
stated
that
they
feel
very
confident
and
prepared
for
the
level
of
equipment
that
we'll
have
the
number
of
pieces
of
equipment
that
we'll
have
on
the
roads.
It
is
the
timing
of
this
storm
looks
to
overlap
with
the
morning
commute
some
of
the
heaviest
precipitation
will
happen
during
that
time.