A former commander in the Boston Police Department is suing Commissioner Michael A. Cox, alleging he was demoted after he identified possible corruption and criminal activity in the paid detail and overtime programs.
Deputy Superintendent Marcus S. Eddings alleged in the Suffolk Superior Court lawsuit that he informed Cox of his discoveries, and that the commissioner responded by silencing him rather than acting on the information.
Eddings said he identified 20 officers who should be investigated by the department’s anti-corruption division for 46 possible criminal acts, and 25 who may have violated department rules 647 times.
“When Eddings first brought his findings that several officers had engaged in Paid Detail Fraud to Commissioner Cox, Cox told Eddings that pursuing further Paid Detail investigations would cause another ‘black eye’ for the Department and that Cox did not want to mess up his legacy,” the lawsuit states.
Another official, who was not identified, told Eddings the department could not afford to fire as many as 25 officers, the lawsuit alleged.
A spokesperson for the Boston police department, Mariellen Burns, said the commissioner has “sole authority to appoint members of his or her command staff.”
“Historically, the commissioner has removed members of the command staff and replaced them immediately or over time,” she said in a statement. “Such decisions are made by the commissioner based on the needs of the department and the ability of people to meet those needs.”
Burns said the department does not typically comment on the specifics of a lawsuit, but said it was “important to note that the Boston Police Department investigates all allegations of misconduct.”
“There is a well-established process for investigating internal and external allegations,” she said. “This would include allegations of the abuse of time or details referenced in the lawsuit. Any suggestion otherwise is untrue.”
The lawsuit was first reported by the Boston Herald.
Eddings held the rank of superintendent, one of the top positions in the department, from 2019 until Cox demoted him in January 2024, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that his demotion violated the state’s whistleblower laws that protects government employees from retaliation by their employer, according to the Office of Inspector General.
In his former position, Eddings was responsible for scrutinizing paid detail and overtime payments. Beginning in 2020, federal prosecutors indicted 15 Boston police officers for falsifying overtime and paid details records; it was not immediately clear Wednesday if Eddings played a role in those cases.
Nine officers pleaded guilty, according to federal prosecutors. One of the officers died awaiting trial, and four former and current officers were acquitted.
Eddings is asking a jury to find that he was demoted for being a whistleblower and that Cox illegally retaliated against him. He is seeking his old job back and compensatory damages.
Eddings joined the department in 1996 and has been assigned to the drug control unit, the youth violence strike force, internal affairs, and the homicide unit, according to the lawsuit.
He was promoted to sergeant in 2006 and to detective sergeant in 2007. He was named as a deputy superintendent in 2017, a non-civil service rank, with oversight of the criminal investigation division.
In 2019, he was named a superintendent and assigned to oversee the paid detail unit, a post he held until Jan. 20, 2024, when Cox demoted him to deputy superintendent, according to the lawsuit.
In 2024, the most recent payroll data released by the Boston mayor’s office, Eddings earned $344,324, including $62,570 in injury pay.
In a Suffolk Superior Court lawsuit filed in November, Eddings alleges that the department is wrongly refusing to pay his medical bills for an injury to his right shoulder.
That injury developed after he hurt his other shoulder on Oct. 9, 2020 when he was run over by a driver who refused his order to stop his vehicle after a traffic violation, the lawsuit alleged.
He underwent surgery on his left shoulder and hurt his right shoulder while undergoing a department-ordered medical exam, according to the lawsuit.
The department refused to provide medical coverage or sick pay, his lawsuit alleged, and Eddings is now seeking compensation for both.
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