Boston Police Officers Will Need to Wear Name Tags Under New Deal

The one-year contract extension for Boston police also gives officers a 2% salary increase, and it will introduce a “more detailed and thorough” system of performance evaluations.

By Luis Fieldman

Source masslive.com

Nov. 4, 2025

2 min read

What to know

Boston police officers will begin wearing name tags under a new one-year contract with the city, aimed at increasing transparency and community trust.
The $6.7 million agreement includes a 2% pay raise, free access to department gyms, and 30 minutes of on-duty workout time per shift.
The deal also introduces a new performance evaluation system as the department pursues national accreditation through CALEA.

Under a new one-year contract extension, Boston police officers will receive a 2% salary increase, and they will be required to wear name tags on duty for the first time.

Police officers in Boston will wear name tags after reaching an agreement for a one-year contract extension with the city.

Mayor Michelle Wu announced the contract ratification on Monday between the city and the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, the union that represents most of the city’s police officers.

Wu’s office underlined the importance of police officers wearing name tags by referencing the recent trend of federal agents wearing masks when making arrests.

“At a time when federal agents are seen on American streets with masks shielding their identity, Boston Police officers will now wear their names as a part of their uniform humanizing who they are when interacting with and serving residents and deepening trust with communities‚" the mayor’s office said in a statement.

The new contract covers the period from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, at a total one-year estimated cost of $6.7 million. Every officer will receive a 2% wage increase.

Officers will also have free access to the gyms in Boston Police Department facilities at each police district, headquarters and the police academy. Officers were previously required to pay a monthly fee to access the department’s gyms.

The contract will also allow officers 30 minutes of workout time per shift, as long as operations are not affected.

“This contract represents our constant efforts to deepen trust between our police officers and our communities, while also ensuring they are supported to be their very best,” Wu said in a statement.

“Our officers do a difficult job. It is important for them to know their work is valued, and for them to continue to embrace their role in building trust and fulfilling our mission of Community Policing,” Commissioner Michael Cox said.

The new contract will also overhaul the evaluation process for evaluating patrol officers.

The department is expected to roll out a “more detailed and thorough” system of evaluations as it pursues accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), the leading national authority on recognized standards for professionalism, performance and accountability in policing, the mayor’s office said.

Only three Massachusetts communities are accredited with CALEA: Danvers, Fall River and Haverhill. Police departments at Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst are also accredited with the organization.

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