Boston Police Commissioner William Evans does have the authority to order 100 officers to wear body cameras, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins ruled Friday morning.

The judge rejected a request for an injunction from the union representing patrol officers, who claim that Evans violated contract rights when he stated he would force officers to participate in a six-month body camera pilot program after no officers volunteered.

Wilkins pointed to a 1962 state law that gives the commissioner sole authority to determine what officers wear and what weapons are issued to them during his ruling, The Boston Globe reports.

During a city council public community hearing in August about the pilot program, Evans had said it was a “hard sell” to get officers to volunteer for the program, which was scheduled to launch last week.


BPPA President Pat Rose expressed disappointment in the judge’s ruling in a statement: