n the surface, these are the best of times for the Boston Police Department.
Crime has declined dramatically, the department has been praised as a national model for policing, and the agency's state-of-the-art headquarters is the envy of departments everywhere.
Yet the disciplining of Boston police officers is tearing at the fabric of the organization.
For Commissioner Paul Evans, the era of community policing and the increasing involvement of residents, neighborhood groups, and business owners mean his department is subject to heightened expectations. One of those expectations is that police will be accountable and officers who fail to follow the rules will be punished.
But the state Civil Service Commission, in overturning nearly half of the 60 disciplinary cases against Boston officers since 1993, undermines the entire process, Evans said.
''The message sent to the small number of people who want to hear that message is, `No matter what Evans does, we can be successful,''' he said.
Evans has been at the forefront of those calling for reform of the commission. He said the agency is ''archaic.''
At a time of increased scrutiny of police actions on the street, the failure to curb bad behavior could be costly. ''Either we do it or someone else will,'' Evans said, referring to the potential for lawsuits against the department.
But for the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, the fact that many of the cases brought by Evans have been overturned is proof the Civil Service Commission is needed. Many of the cases are reversed because the internal hearing process is a sham that is unfair to officers, the union contends.
''It's the most disgraceful disciplinary system I have seen in 21 years,'' said Thomas Drechsler, a Boston attorney who represents union members in disciplinary matters. Drechsler said the commission is the only place officers can get a fair hearing, and in cases where management acted too harshly or without cause, the discipline is overturned.
The criticism of the commission by police chiefs is also an attempt to improperly pressure the agency to rule in management's favor, charged Thomas Nee, the BPPA president.
''We lose cases up there,'' said Nee. ''The difference is we don't complain. We don't whine.'' He added, ''If a cop took the tack of Paul Evans, he would find his ass in federal prison.''
Drechsler and Nee also say the disciplinary process is misused to cover up the failings of high-ranking officers, who they assert are rarely punished. In many cases, street-level cops are punished as scapegoats to make it appear the department takes misconduct seriously, they contend.
Evans, however, said the union charges are a familiar refrain designed to draw attention away from the barriers he faces in trying to discipline officers who break the rules.
''Let's all be big boys here,'' he said. ''Unfortunately, we have officers who make mistakes and I have to deal with those. Instead of realizing that and working with me, they lack the will to do that. Everything is management's fault.''
