The Peace Officer Standards and Training Committee has agreed not to ask officers specific questions about their social media histories and personal affiliations during recertification, as part of a settlement with police groups who sued the oversight board in 2022.

The settlement with the committee, known as POST, also requires commissioners to attend trainings on the state’s open meetings law, following claims that POST subcommittees improperly held closed meetings.

“The POST Commission’s illegal meeting practices and unconstitutional inquiries into social media activity and officers’ memberships and affiliations were damaging to the credibility and purpose of police reform in Massachusetts,” said plaintiff Scott Hovsepian, president of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police. “Transparency and accountability are crucial for a policy making body, and law enforcement officers are entitled to the same First Amendment protections as all other Americans.”

Hovsepian was joined in the lawsuit by Boston Police Superior Officers Federation president Jeanne Carroll and Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society president Donald Caisey in the lawsuit against POST. They alleged the commission had delegated work to subgroups that operated outside the public eye.

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Biden signs Social Security Fairness Act into law 

ABC News,ByJulia ReinsteinJanuary 5, 2025, 5:13 PM

President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law Sunday afternoon, marking what is expected to be one of the last major pieces of legislation of his presidency.

Prior to signing the bill, Biden touted the importance of Social Security benefits for working class Americans and said he was "proud to have played a small part in this fight and get to sign it."

"The bill I'm signing today is about a simple proposition: Americans who have worked hard all their lives to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity," he said.

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Social Security Fairness Act to get a vote in the Senate, Chuck Schumer says  

CBS News, By Kate Gibson, December 16, 2024

A House-passed bill that would expand Social Security benefits to millions of Americans just got a lifeline in the Senate.

Senate Majority Chuck Schumer last week started the process for a final vote on the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate two federal policies that keep a portion of Americans from getting their full Social Security benefits, including cops, fire fighters and teachers.

Using his power to invoke cloture — a process limiting debate and setting a 30-hour window before a final vote must be held — the proposed legislation as of Monday's Senate schedule was headed for a vote.

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Boston sees continued rise in officer overtime as department struggles to recruit 

Police overtime spending outpaced the department’s overtime pay budget by $33 million, or 44%, last fiscal year, which ended on June 30

Police1.com, September 16, 2024 - By Will Katcher, masslive.com

BOSTON — The Boston Police Department spent over $77 million on overtime and was on pace to top $100 million through the first three quarters of the last fiscal year.

And that was before the Boston Marathon, before the NBA Finals and before more than 1 million fans packed the city streets for the Celtics championship parade in June — all events that required significant added police presence.

Police overtime spending has become a consistent drain on city resources, outpacing their overtime pay budget by $33 million, or 44%, last fiscal year, which ended on June 30, according to the Boston City Council.

“Year after year, administration after administration has really tried to address the issues of overtime spending to no avail. It’s due time,” City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said Thursday.

Her comments came as the council heard testimony on two closely related concerns: ballooning overtime pay and the department’s sagging staffing levels as more officers continue to leave the force than join it.

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