(PresidentialHill.com)- Boston cops are costing the state over $132.2 million over five years after a statewide police education program is paying officers for getting a college degree, despite the program being formally shut down to new employees over a decade ago, according to The Center Square.
The police Career Incentive Pay Program, also known as the Quinn Bill, was initially passed in 1970, a few years after the Johnson Crime Commission released a report recommending more education for officers. But 15 years later, the program came under scrutiny by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team in 1985 for the program’s high costs and low academic requirements. It was until 2003 when the Boston Municipal Research Bureau found that the program offered little benefit.
“From 1970 to February 2003, the only academic requirement of the Quinn Bill was that a police officer graduate with a relevant degree…” the bureau reported. “No standards existed for curriculum, instructor certification, attendance, or course requirements beyond those set by the institution itself…”
It continued to say that “the Quinn Bill has created a lucrative market for colleges that cater to police officers who are working full-time by offering convenient locations and relaxed course requirements rather than academic rigor in their criminal-justice programs.”
Despite the program being officially stopped for employees hired after July 2009, in 2021, the city reportedly spent $28.5 million on additional pay for 1,386 police employees through the Police Career Incentive Pay Program, also known as the Quinn Bill. Employees for the police department are reportedly eligible throughout the state of Massachusetts.
The highest bump in pay in 2021 was $52,343, reportedly increasing the superintendent-in-chief, Gregory Long’s pay to $291,960 whereas the lowest bump reported was $356.
Long, who reports directly to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox, “responsible for the development, review, evaluation, and recommendation to the Police Commissioner of policies, procedures, and programs necessary to ensure the implementation of community policing and the effective delivery of police services to the public,” according to the department.
The program reportedly provides “10% increase in base pay for an associate’s degree, a 20% increase for a bachelor’s degree and a 25% increase for a master’s or law degree.”
