After over a yr and a half with out an on-the-job commissioner, the Boston Police Department opened a brand new chapter Monday morning, swearing in Police Commissioner Michael Cox.
“I’m proud that today, a boy from Roxbury is going to serve as the commissioner for the Boston Police Department — first and finest in the country,” mentioned Mayor Michelle Wu on the ceremony in entrance of City Hall.
Cox, 57, beforehand moved by the ranks of the Boston Police Department and most not too long ago served because the police chief in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He would be the division’s third Black commissioner, instantly preceded by the primary two.
In 1995, Cox was severely crushed by fellow cops who thought he was a suspect. He efficiently sued the division in response. The incident has drawn consideration since he was chosen for the Boston prime cop job in July.
“There’s been a great deal of talk about the incident that happened to me 27 years ago,” mentioned Cox. “While this incident is totally knowledgeable who I’m, it doesn’t outline me.
“I’ve worked to change policing since that incident occurred,” he continued, “and I will continue to do everything they can to make sure no Black or brown person, or any individual no matter what their gender identity or race, is the victim any kind of unconstitutional policing.”
Despite the tough year-and-a-half search, Cox has been warmly welcomed by events throughout town.
“I had been told that it’d be impossible to find someone who could embody all the qualities that Boston was looking for in a police commissioner in this moment,” mentioned Wu, noting the varied requirements of the search committee. “But at the end of the day, Michael Cox is used to proving that more is possible.”
Cox emphasised the necessity inside this exceptionally “polarized” interval for the division to mirror town’s communities and set up open strains of communication.
The new commissioner mentioned “transparency, accountability, procedural justice, equity and inclusion” would be the on the “heart” of the police division, with particular plans forthcoming.
“As a police officer, we’re taught the old adage, that at the end of the day, we have a right to go home safely,” mentioned Cox. “But I’m right here simply to remind the those that serve, we’re right here to serve the residents of Boston.
“While I don’t disagree with the adage, we want to expand upon it and make it clear that we’re all in this together,” Cox continued. “All of us have a right to go home safely. All of our kids have a right to walk in the neighborhood in the park and play safely. And we all have the right to be safe in our homes and be treated with respect.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”