Hub police delay eliminating water coolers
Compared with the kind of cuts Boston police have made in the last several months, getting rid of bottled water for officers seemed like the easiest way to save a buck.
Turns out, the idea was a wash.
Hours after Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis sent employees a memo Monday telling them that by June 30, they would have to drink water from the tap, he decided to delay the move.
The goal was to save the department $50,000 in annual costs for water coolers at the districts and headquarters, said Elaine Driscoll, department spokeswoman.
But Thomas Nee, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, balked and told Davis that bottled water was not a perk, but a health benefit.
Two decades ago, when police were headquartered on Berkeley Street, old, wooden pipes allowed contaminants to seep into the system, compromising the quality of the water, Driscoll said.
Miller Thomas, president of the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society, recalled that when he worked in the Roxbury district, the fountains were so poorly maintained that officers avoided drinking the water.
"It was smelly," Thomas said. "I know there were some issues with color."
Now, the department is examining each building to test the water quality, Driscoll said.
"Several buildings have been checked already," she said. "But it has not been completed and the commissioner will not discontinue the water until he knows that is finished."
Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com. 
