# Boston PD may be taking Lateral Transfers



## policelaborlaw.com

Boston Commissioner Edward F. Davis sent a letter to Massachusetts Police Chiefs announcing that Boston would be taking lateral transfers. Lateral Transfers would have to live in the City.

Check out the Boston Globe for more info:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/03/09/commissioner_seeks_officers_outside_hub/


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## alphadog1

Does anybody know if the lateral transfers will go through the same hiring process as the recently hired Muni. police?


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## Guest

No Idea, but this will certainly make it even more difficult for non-residents to even make it to an invitation. I just wrote to Councilman Flaherty in the hopes that there are at least more talks about this. Worth a shot.


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## t21port

Does anybody know if they are accepting laterals from outside the great state of Mass???


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## Guest

t21port said:


> Does anybody know if they are accepting laterals from outside the great state of Mass???


Nope, they're only taking from the inside. The laterals must be current residents of the City of Boston


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## j809

I heard that they only want to take laterals from City PDs with 100,000 or more residents. That kinda narrows it down to a handful of cities here in Massachusetts. Not only that, but those other city PDs might have a much better gig than BPD. Good luck filling them that way.


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## HousingCop

j809 said:


> I heard that they only want to take laterals from City PDs with 100,000 or more residents. That kinda narrows it down to a handful of cities here in Massachusetts. Not only that, but those other city PDs might have a much better gig than BPD. Good luck filling them that way.


*Which means they have thinned the herd to cops who only live in Cambridge, Worcester and Quincy. *
*The letter that went out stated they only had to be CS qualified. Said nothing about 100,000 residents.* 
*It's the second time it's happened in as many months too.*


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## Guest

HousingCop said:


> *Which means they have thinned the herd to cops who only live in Cambridge, Worcester and Quincy. *


Don't forget Springfield.

I haven't heard anything about the 100,000 limit, either.


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## BrickCop

I'd guess that they wouldn't turn down a cop who speaks a desired second language simply because he/she is from a smaller PD.


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## Mitpo62

The announcement posted on the BPD website is quite clear; transfers must be a graduate of a MPTC academy, pass the medical/psychological exam, background investigation, and PAT. Transfers must reside in the city upon appointment. Your letter of interest and resume must be received by BPD Headquarters no later than April 1st.


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## TripleSeven

What about all the NON residents on the Boston civil service list? You can't tell me they've exhausted that entire list too? Or will they ONLY hire people who can claim Boston residency at the time of the exam.....


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## alphadog1

Don't forget Lowell...the commisioner came from there


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## smilly217

I don't see why they have to be from a MA town/city, I think we'd be better off having a guy with the experience of a major metropolitan city (ie New York, Chicago) I think we can all name people who got fed up with Civil Service and went to other cities just because they wanted to be a police officer. I'd ride next to someone who has that big city experience over someone who they said just came over because their academy was held to a higher standard. As we all know, the academy gives you a base but most of your knowledge comes from the street.


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## T4567

I saw the letter from BPD about the laterals. There is no mention of any requirement of working for a city with pop. of 100,000. It does not hurt to try.


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## pahapoika

funny , i took that exam for 15 years , scored 98's and 99's , have lived in the city most of my life and still never got hired !

looks like the city's notorious reverse discrimination is catching up to them.

maybe they'll get real desperate and take an old , crusty prison guard 

good luck to anyone transferring in , great bunch of guys working the BPD .
</IMG>


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## Enforcer174

They havent exhausted the list yet as claimed by the Boston Globe. They are putting all applicants that have applied on hold right now because it would only make sense to hire officers already trained than to put another class in.

Myself and about 12 other guys I know are still waiting to hear back from the BG's and was told nothing has been processed since are last visit in Feb 2007. I geuss they are hoping that they get laterals but are probally going to to wind up very short and with them not getting the backgrounds done on the applicants they called in will put a huge delay in the process.


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## 4ransom

Wouldn't laterals have to go through the Boston Police Academy? 

What are the differences between the mcjtc academy and the boston police academy? I am sure that if there are major differences, It will be difficult for two different types of training to work together on the street. 

Also, if this is true, why isn't it posted on the jobfile?


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## soxrock75

Enforcer174 said:


> They havent exhausted the list yet as claimed by the Boston Globe. They are putting all applicants that have applied on hold right now because it would only make sense to hire officers already trained than to put another class in.
> 
> Myself and about 12 other guys I know are still waiting to hear back from the BG's and was told nothing has been processed since are last visit in Feb 2007. I geuss they are hoping that they get laterals but are probally going to to wind up very short and with them not getting the backgrounds done on the applicants they called in will put a huge delay in the process.


Well, there are people (non-laterals off of the CS list) that are moving forward in the process. About 25 or so took the psych test last week and were given conditional offers of employment and scheduled for the next round of medical exams etc.


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## Enforcer174

How can they get conditional offers of employment if they havent gone through the medical testing part yet?

They must have been residents that applied before and went thru the testing because i know from what my Bg woman said that non of the recent applicants have had anything done


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## DPD77

pahapoika said:


> funny , i took that exam for 15 years , scored 98's and 99's , have lived in the city most of my life and still never got hired !
> 
> looks like the city's notorious reverse discrimination is catching up to them.
> 
> maybe they'll get real desperate and take an old , crusty prison guard
> 
> good luck to anyone transferring in , great bunch of guys working the BPD .
> </IMG>


Been there done that


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## tomcats

Strollin strollin strollin


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## DPD77

How are ya McMiserable?:beer:


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## midwatch

Enforcer174 said:


> I geuss they are hoping that they get laterals but are probally going to to wind up very short


Somehow I don't think they are going to "wind up short" on people who want to lateral onto BPD.


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## new guy

midwatch said:


> Somehow I don't think they are going to "wind up short" on people who want to lateral onto BPD.


You wouldn't think so, but I can see alot of people taking a pass because of the residency requirement. If they did the 15 mile rule like many other PD's than they would probably have more than enough.


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## midwatch

new guy said:


> You wouldn't think so, but I can see alot of people taking a pass because of the residency requirement. If they did the 15 mile rule like many other PD's than they would probably have more than enough.


Yeah thats a good point. But I still see an assload of people going after it.


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## Enforcer174

Really, though most of the guys and gals already on the force in some city or town already are pretty much settled down with a home and children, why would they want to sell their house in less 2 months time and try to find an apartment or home in boston? 

The police pay in boston is good but the housing and car insurance is through the roof. When I lived in boston I paid $2000 a year for a 1993 Jeep and i was a step 9!! Not to mention that parking very limited in boston.


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## 4ransom

Enforcer174 said:


> Really, though most of the guys and gals already on the force in some city or town already are pretty much settled down with a home and children, why would they want to sell their house in less 2 months time and try to find an apartment or home in boston?
> 
> The police pay in boston is good but the housing and car insurance is through the roof. When I lived in boston I paid $2000 a year for a 1993 Jeep and i was a step 9!! Not to mention that parking very limited in boston.


How many people who get the residency requirement do you think actually live there? It is real easy to call in a favor to a relative or a friend or somebody and use their address to meet the requirement. Not everybody plays by the rules.


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## Enforcer174

Believe me I worked for the City for 8 years ago and every year you have to submit documention to prove you live in Boston. They also do random home visits. Once you start lying about where you live and they find out it is all over. They can get you for that and your firearms permit. If your claiming to live in Boston and have a Firearms permit but really living Wilmington your done on both of them

In the years i have seen many City workers who claimed to have lived in Boston that were lying and they got the booted pension and all. I wouldnt want to risk lying about where i lived because once they find out you will have a tail watching you. Not to mention any enemies that want to drop a dime on you.The City is very strict with this anyone else on here from boston want to comment on this?


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## soxrock75

Enforcer174 said:


> How can they get conditional offers of employment if they havent gone through the medical testing part yet?
> 
> They must have been residents that applied before and went thru the testing because i know from what my Bg woman said that non of the recent applicants have had anything done


That is why the offers are only conditional at this point. Pending the outcome of the psych screening, medical and lastly the PAT, then a final offer will be made.

The 25 or so that took the psych test last week were in the running for the last class and 3 or 4 appeared to be Muni's.


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## smilly217

As far as the residency goes, there are ways around it like with any rule. However the consequence if you get caught isn't really worth it. For instance, there could be a problem at your house in quincy, you say you live in Boston. Now there's a report stating that this is your house (or your wife's house) now you're stuck in a lie about how you and your wife don't live in the same house and she's owned that house for 5 yrs, but you haven't gotten divorced yet. Confusing scenario, but I recently saw it happen and a guy got fired over it. (city time served gone, gun license gone, job gone)
Don't get me wrong, it's not that difficult to do, I know plenty who get away with it. But to save money on car insurance and a house it may not be worth it. Quality of life, it's worth it to live better, but where's the quality of life when you're fired from a police job, who's going to hire you then? If someone finds out who's a prick or jealous that you don't live in the city, then a quick phone call gets the ball rolling, and eventually, you're done.


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## Enforcer174

soxrock75 said:


> That is why the offers are only conditional at this point. Pending the outcome of the psych screening, medical and lastly the PAT, then a final offer will be made.
> 
> The 25 or so that took the psych test last week were in the running for the last class and 3 or 4 appeared to be Muni's.


That is what I figured even though the BG's have been telling everyone they have no other applicants that have moved forward yet since the first application interview. i geuss we will all find out in the next upcoming months when the Class is to go in whether we made it or not.


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## dave7336

SGT_GRUNT_USMC said:


> What's the whole purpose of Boston having a residency reqirement anyway?
> It seems to me if you wanted a top notch police department you would expand your recruiting base to anyone who is qualified instead of limiting yourself to one city.Plus if your a cop,why would you want to live in the same area you patrol?After patrolling the mean streets,you want to go home to an area that is nice and not the ghetto.


\

I refuse to live in the town I grew up in and work in for just those reasons. where I live, I can go out and nobody knows who I am or what I do. Why come home from work and have your neighbors bitch about everything from traffic to kids in the parks drinking?

The only people that want residency are people like Mayor Menino because he thinks there are no problems in the city and the neighborhoods are safe...oh wait, doesn't he have a 24 hour Boston Police security detail around his house? that must be why he thinks all of the neighborhoods are safe..


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## tin63

Does anybody know how many lateral transfers Boston is looking to take, and how many of them they want to be women and minorities???


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## Mitpo62

Their goal is to hire 100 laterals by June, then put 50 or so "newbies" through an academy around the sametime.


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## tin63

Is this 100 number just something that you heard or is it actually down in writing somewhere?? Also, does anybody know if they plan on taking more laterals after that initial 100, or is that it.


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## chiefwiggum

I was talking to a Boston Patrolman recently and he said Boston pays a maxed out Patrolman with masters like 62,000 but it seems like everyone is considering it and they have it in their minds that the base is like 90,000. When I 1st heard I was considering it (daydreaming about basing 90 grand) but now I hear from this guy it's not much of a pay difference and you have to move there. Where's the bennefit? It would be nice to watch the Sox from the duggout though!


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## POPCOP

Just curious, how low did Boston go on the list so far?


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## chiefwiggum

SGT_GRUNT_USMC said:


> What's the whole purpose of Boston having a residency reqirement anyway?
> There's a million theories
> It seems to me if you wanted a top notch police department you would expand your recruiting base to anyone who is qualified instead of limiting yourself to one city.
> Right but the people that make the rules want to give jobs to people who vote for them not outsiders.
> Plus if your a cop,why would you want to live in the same area you patrol?
> 
> you wouldn't.
> 
> After patrolling the mean streets,you want to go home to an area that is nice and not the ghetto.


Right but there are but that brings us back to your first question and one of the theories that they use making the rule your a cop 24/7 and who's more interested in making the community better some one who lives in it or someone visiting for 8 hours?


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## AdamJ1984

I could see someone as a visitor if they lived like a half hour away, but if you are in medford, sommerville, etc. I wouldn't call it a long distance. To work in such a metropolitan area as Boston would be a dream for me, but without taking outsiders I am stuck in the suburbs.


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## tin63

I'm willing to bet that guys from larger dept.'s such as Worcester, Lowell, Lawrence, Somerville, Waltham, Brocton, Springfield etc. will get a better shot just becuase they are already used to the city atmosphere as opposed to a guy from out in Lincoln or Sudbury.


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## j809

Why would they go to Boston PD for a paycut?


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## coldsteel

Not only would they take a pay cut but they would have to move there.... Really not worth it for me where the hell would I park a four door F350 in Boston. Just my .02


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## tin63

Actually, with the exception of the State and Quincy, Boston is probably one of the highest paid around with a degree.


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## Enforcer174

Boston may be paid good but the housing, home/car insurance and property taxes are through the roof!! You may be getting more for base salary but it will be eaten up by the 3 things listed above, that is why I ended up moving out after 28 years. I dont regret it eitheir because housing is much cheaper a couple of miles out of the city and I have plenty of parking when i come home at night. When it snows in boston the reserved parking spot wars start!


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## AdamJ1984

This will be a little off topic, but in regards to the upcoming test I will claim residency in my town of Methuen. How many choices do you have, is it 3 with your residency or that plus 3. I was planning on listing Lawrence and Lowell because of the large amount of activity. But what else are good options? I want to gain alot of experience and keep busy on the streets. Thanks again for the input.


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## wgciv

I believe it is your city/town plus 3 additional.... because of the residency preference, the other 3 don't matter all that much but I would list 3 large cities... If there were ever a chance of a department exhausting all applicants who reside in the city, it would be a larger department... Again, you live and die by your residency, so just fill in any 3 bubbles or codes or whatever.


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## AdamJ1984

Wow, if that's the case, I can see why the Civil Service System is often bashed by those who are left out and left alone by those whom already delt with it. I will still try my hardest and see what comes of it. Thank-you for the information.


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## Guest

First half police officer with a BS makes about 74,000.


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## gooday

They are down to non residents on the list for hire. But they must move there also if hired.


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## SargeLorenzo

gooday said:


> They are down to non residents on the list for hire.


I'm in the top 10 of the non resident list, I won't be holding my breath.


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## j809

tin63 said:


> Actually, with the exception of the State and Quincy, Boston is probably one of the highest paid around with a degree.


 Wrong.


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