Boston Police cancel time off around election, citing public safety concerns

The Boston Police Department is canceling time off for officers near the November election, saying the move is needed to secure “sufficient public safety.” 

The department sent an email this week to officers telling them time off is canceled “in order to provide sufficient public safety for the week around the election,” according to the Boston Herald.

The order means sworn personnel can’t take vacations from Oct. 31 through Nov. 7. In addition, discretionary days off won’t be permitted from Nov. 2 through Nov. 9, the newspaper reported. 

The local police union called the new policy “a slap in the face.” 

“This is not good for the department, the officers and their families or the people of Boston,” Boston Police Patrolmen’s Union President Larry Calderone said in a letter to the police commissioner. 

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.