Boston's Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT), established in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd, has faced significant challenges. High turnover, lack of public meetings and reports, and a website outage hampered its effectiveness. Only two of its disciplinary recommendations were upheld by the Police Commissioner, both resulting in oral reprimands.
Under the new Executive Director, Evandro Carvalho, OPAT is working to address these issues. They've increased staffing, engaged in community outreach (including coffee meetups and a billboard campaign), and improved their office presence. OPAT's budget has also increased to nearly $1.5 million.
Despite these efforts, OPAT still faces challenges. The Civilian Review Board has received numerous complaints, but few have resulted in meaningful discipline. The Police Commissioner retains ultimate authority over discipline, rejecting several recommendations. Furthermore, public awareness of OPAT remains low, hindering its effectiveness.
Carvalho acknowledges the challenges but expresses confidence in OPAT's ability to fulfill its goals of enhancing police accountability and building public trust. The agency is aiming to increase transparency and public engagement to achieve these objectives.