Revealing the Hidden Costs of Policing in Boston

How much does policing cost the City of Boston? While the stated Boston Police Department (BPD) budget was just over $404 million in FY2021, this estimate does not incorporate hidden costs to the city, including pension pay-ins and health insurance costs. After incorporating these hidden costs, the actual cost of operating BPD was over $572 million. The purpose of this issue brief is to provide a general methodology for calculating the total costs of policing in Boston between FY2019-FY2021, including pension and health insurance costs that fall outside the BPD operational budget. Using the methodology outlined below, this section breaks down the stated vs. actual costs associated with policing in Boston for FY2019, FY2020, and FY2021. Findings indicate that close to one-third of actual costs are hidden costs each year. 

CfJJ values investments in the health care and pensions of municipal employees, and we think those investments should continue, including for police officers. That said, these expenses need to be recognized and counted when considering the totality of the size and scope of the BPD budget.

Recommendation 1

References to the cost of policing in Boston—and elsewhere—should incorporate both the stated and hidden costs discussed in this memo. Policymakers and advocates in cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth should consider making similar calculations of their departments. Further research and analysis should also be conducted to calculate the hidden costs of agencies across the entire criminal legal system.

Recommendation 2

Though a basic framework was provided here, the City of Boston should build upon these findings to regularly release calculations of the full costs of policing, enabling more effective evaluations of policy options and programs associated with community safety. 

To read more about the methodology, please click here to download the full brief.