[1] As described by the association's attorney, its founding purposes was "to protect the patrolmen against widespread charges of police brutality and to hear civilian complaints.
[6] The BPPA has negotiated multiple bargaining agreements which resulted in large pay raises for Boston police officers.
[10] Yawu Miller of the Bay State Banner described it as being, "the first [contract] in which [Boston] city officials have managed to secure significant reforms from the Patrolmen’s union.
"[10] Under the terms of the contract, it was agreed that officers would lose the option to use arbitration to appeal firings or other disciplinary measures if they are convicted of certain crimes.
[10][11] The contract also saw the union agree to allow pay details of the department to be made public, and for their to be more strict outlines on when officers are permitted to take medical leave.
[15] The BPPA was a vocal critic of state and municipal police reform legislation passed in the aftermath of nationwide protests against racial injustice in summer 2020.
[19][20] In 2020, BPPA president Michael Leary wrote a letter to the Boston Teachers' Union denouncing programming to promote racial justice in local schools.
Leary referred to Black Lives Matter as an "antipolice organization" that "inaccurately demoniz[es] police as racists who kill innocent people."
He was the fifteenth current or former BPD officer charged in connection with an investigation into overtime abuse at the department's evidence warehouse.