Boston Municipal Protective Services

History

The Boston Municipal Police originated in 1979 as the Boston Municipal Security Force within the City's Public Facilities Department; in 1994 it was renamed the Boston Municipal Police Department and moved under what is now the Property & Construction Management Department. The agency had two divisions: unarmed "site officers" and armed patrol/supervisory officers.

In mid-2006, the City advanced a plan that would dissolve the BMP and allow some municipal patrol officers to transfer laterally to the Boston Police Department; the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association (BPPA) opposed aspects of the plan. On December 28, 2006, the state's Human Resources Division approved the voluntary transfer of 33 BMP officers to the Boston Police Department; the remaining personnel were either laid off or reassigned to the new BMPS security division effective January 1, 2007. Contemporary City research also describes BMPS as an unarmed force created in 2007 under Property & Construction Management, with approximately 60 officers at the time and a Director of Security detailed from BPD.

From 2007 through mid-2021, BMPS personnel who exercised police powers did so by holding Special Police Officer licenses under Boston Police Department Rule 400/400A (a licensing scheme the City also used for other municipal units such as Boston School Police). After passage of Massachusetts police-reform legislation (S.2963) and implementation by the POST Commission, incumbent Rule 400/400A commissions required state-approved academy credentials; as a result, Boston revoked most such commissions effective July 1, 2021, leaving BMPS as an unarmed, non-sworn security service.

Jurisdiction

BMP patrol officers formerly held citywide jurisdiction as sworn Special Police Officers under BPD Rule 400A. As BMPS, personnel are limited to security functions at designated City sites, and—following the 2021 reforms—do not exercise police powers unless separately commissioned under state-compliant credentials.

The main agencies and departments serviced by BMPS include the following city-owned assets:

• Boston Police Department property
• Boston Redevelopment Authority property
• Community Schools property and employees
• Community Centers property and employees
• Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC) property and employees
• Inspectional Services Department property and employees
• Library Department property and employees
• Property Management and Construction property and employees
• Neighborhood Development property and employees
• Boston Public Schools Central Administration Building
• The City of Boston Cemeteries
• The city's Parks and Recreation facilities and employees
• The Boston Transportation Department property and employees

References

References

1. "Property Management". City of Boston.
2. "Protective Services Officer – City of Boston". City of Boston Careers.
3. "Boston Municipal Police Officers (Former) v. City of Boston (CSC No. 3290–7)". Massachusetts Civil Service Commission.
4. (December 4, 2006). "Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, Inc. v. Menino (case summary)". Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly.
5. "Pax Centurion (BPPA newsletter), May/June 2006". Boston Police Patrolmen's Association.
6. "Boston Municipal Police Officers (Current at Time of Appeal) and City of Boston (10/26/06)". Massachusetts Human Resources Division/Civil Service.
7. Cramer, Maria. (January 1, 2007). "For Municipal Police, It's the End of the Line". The Boston Globe.
8. (2014). "Boston's Organizational Structure". Boston Municipal Research Bureau.
9. "Rules & Procedures". Boston Police Department.
10. "Safety Services – Who We Are". Boston Public Schools.
11. "Bill S.2963 – Police Reform". Massachusetts General Court.
12. (October 4, 2021). "Boston Police Reforms: September 2021 Community Update". City of Boston.
13. Sennott, Neil. (September 6, 2021). "Reimagining Boston's 'other' police force". The Boston Globe.
14. "Police Division". Boston Housing Authority.
15. (October 4, 2021). "Boston Police Reforms: September 2021 Community Update". City of Boston.