Hub police suit may have wide impact

Traditionally, the cost of the program was split equally between the state and the municipalities that chose to participate.

But in 2009, the state eliminated nearly all funding for the program to help close a budget gap, a move that infuriated police officers whose salaries fell suddenly and dramatically.

Many municipalities, including Boston, continued to pay their share of the program, but refused to fund the state’s half.

Lawyers for police officers will argue in court that Boston must pick up the full amount, even though the state has stopped reimbursing it for the costs. The city argues that police union contracts say Boston is responsible for only half the amount.

If the officers win, the case will have ripple effects across the state and require dozens of communities, many already facing lawsuits from their officers, to pay the state’s portion.

“This is a very important case for cities and towns in terms of their finances,’’ said Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. “If they are forced to pick up the state’s share of the Quinn Bill costs, it will be another blow to municipal finances. Certainly, in some communities, there will be the ironic outcome of layoffs of police officers if municipalities are required to pick up the state’s share.’’

If the court sides with the officers, Boston could owe nearly $16.8 million in back pay for hundreds of officers. And, going forward, Boston officials estimate they would be responsible for about $10 million a year to cover what used to be the state’s half of the program.

Police say they are, by law, owed the money, which can boost an officer’s pay by as much 25 percent.

The Quinn Bill, named after former attorney general Robert H. Quinn, was passed in 1970 and was designed to encourage higher education in a field that was rapidly professionalizing.

“Law enforcement is no longer a blue-collar profession,’’ said Gerry Sanfilippo, president of the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society. “This job is becoming increasingly more difficult to do today… . We should be recognized for that fact, we should be appreciated for that fact, and we should be compensated for that fact.’’