A majority of the Boston City Council penned a letter expressing their “steadfast” opposition to the mayor and police commissioner’s decision to demote a veteran member of the force due to his appointment to a police oversight agency, and are advocating for his reinstatement.

The letter sent on Friday comes five weeks after Eddy Chrispin was removed from his position as deputy superintendent on the command staff at the Boston Police Department, and demoted to the rank of sergeant detective. The decision drew backlash after it was publicized by the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement, of which Chrispin is a board member and past president.

“We write to express our continued disappointment with the removal of Sergeant Eddy Chrispin from your command staff at the Boston Police Department,” eight city councilors, led by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, wrote to the mayor and police commissioner in a letter obtained by the Herald.

“We write this letter five weeks after the announcement because we remain steadfast against this decision, and are deeply concerned by the rationale behind the removal,” the letter states. “The initial claim of a conflict of interest simply does not hold up under scrutiny.”

The councilors said the decision became “more troubling” due to the “inconsistent reasoning given for his removal from the command staff.”

“We strongly advocate for his reinstatement, as his continued leadership is crucial for the BPD and the city of Boston,” the letter states.

The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement had initially announced on social media on July 5 that Chrispin was demoted over his June 25 appointment to the Massachusetts PEACE Officer Standards and Training, or POST, Commission. Attorney General Andrea Campbell made the appointment.

The Boston Police Department did not confirm that version of events in an initial statement about the demotion, saying that it doesn’t comment on “reasons for changes to the command staff” and changes are made from “time to time” to strengthen the supervisory and policy-setting group’s work.

It wasn’t until nearly a week later that Boston Mayor Michelle Wu confirmed the reasoning provided by MAMLEO, saying that the police commissioner chose to demote Chrispin to keep the police department’s command staff and POST Commission, a statewide police oversight agency, independent of one another.

This, according to the mayor, who publicly backed the commissioner’s decision on GBH’s Boston Public Radio on July 9, would “keep those entities both fulfilling their respective missions fully.”

Wu said Chrispin was given a choice between joining the POST Commission or remaining on the command staff by the commissioner, and that Cox “needs to have every ability to shape the team around him.”

The councilors, however, pointed to a statement released by the POST Commission on July 8, which they say disputed the existence of a conflict of interest.

POST, a statewide police oversight agency, was established in 2020 under criminal reform legislation with the aim of improving policing and enhancing public confidence in law enforcement through the creation of a fair process for mandatory certification, discipline, and training of all peace in the commonwealth.

“The POST Commission itself has opined that no conflict of interest exists with Sergeant Chrispin serving on the Command Staff and on the POST Commission,” the councilors wrote. “While we do not seek to tread on your decision-making authority as a leader in this city, transparency and fairness require that we continue to push this matter to ensure that BPD works in the interest of the community and nothing more.”

The councilors characterized his removal from the command staff as a “deep loss” for the department and city, citing Chrispin’s 25-year tenure at BPD, his experience as a trained lawyer and “exceptional work ethic.”

The councilors said that over the past month, they’ve “heard from community members and police officers of all backgrounds and ranks who share our disappointment.”

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That assessment may not be entirely reflective of the Boston Police Department ranks, however, according to a police source within the department who requested anonymity to speak openly about the matter.

“People will tell you that position on the command staff is one of the most political position assignments you can find,” the police source said. “Most people within the department think Chrispin is acting like a spoiled brat, kind of sour grapes because you know the deal when you go in.

“I think a lot of people will tell you much ado about nothing,” the source said. “He has a boss. His boss wanted to make a decision relative to his assignment. It’s pretty much that simple.”

Signing onto the Council letter, in order of how they appear, were Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Councilors Ed Flynn, Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Julia Mejia, Brian Worrell, Tania Fernandes Anderson, Liz Breadon and Erin Murphy.

Not signing onto the letter were Councilors Sharon Durkan, John FitzGerald, Enrique Pepén, Henry Santana, and Benjamin Weber.