BOSTON — The Boston City Council is reviewing a proposal to reduce the police department budget by $3 million and reallocate the funds to equity and social justice initiatives. Ways and Means Committee Chair Ben Weber released amendments for Mayor Michelle Wu's $4.9 billion municipal budget.

The amendments transfer $1.58 million from police salaries to equity cabinet grants, age strong grants, Grow Boston food production support, a violence intervention mentorship program, and a tenant stabilization fund. An additional $1.5 million from police overtime would fund mental health response, community land trusts, a caregiver pilot, public restrooms, arts grants, and literacy programming.

Weber said, "The Council is now in daily budget working sessions to craft an amendment package that I will bring for a vote on Wednesday." He said, "Our proposal seeks to restore as many of the FY27 budget cuts as possible."

Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, opposed the proposal to reduce the police department budget. Calderone said, "To address the overtime budget comments or ideas, any conversations other than appropriate funding based on past spending is a waste of taxpayer time and only invites anger and resentment towards police officers." He said, "As long as the city has so few officers to properly staff shifts, overtime expenditures will continue to rise."

Mayor Wu stated the city overspent on public safety overtime by $48.7 million during the current fiscal year. Wu said, "In order to protect the core services residents rely on most, we made difficult decisions across many of the discretionary areas of the budget, including reducing or removing funding for a number of grant programs."