Boston Police Department
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The BPD is also the 20th largest law enforcement agency in the country and the third largest in New England behind the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
(2,100 officers) and the Massachusetts Department of Correction
Massachusetts Department of Correction
The Massachusetts Department of Correction is responsible for operating the prison system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, US Massachusetts houses over 11,500 inmates throughout 18 correctional facilities and employs over 5,000 employees...
(4,000 officers).
History
The first night watch in Boston was established in 1635. In 1703, pay in the sum of 35 shillings a month was set. In 1796, the Watch was reorganized and the watchmen carried a badge of office, a rattle, and a six-foot pole, which was painted blue and white with a hook on one end and a bill on the other. The hook was used to grab fleeing criminals, and the rounded “bill” was used as a weapon. The rattle was a noise-making device used for calling for assistance.In 1838, the Day Police was organized, having no connection with the Night Watch. The Day Police operated under the city marshal and had six appointed officers.
The Boston Police Department was formally founded in May 1854, at which point the Boston Watch and Day Police were disbanded, and the Boston Police department came into being. A fourteen-inch club replaced the old hook and bill, which had been in use for one hundred and fifty-four years. At the time of its founding, the Boston Police constituted one of the first paid, professional police services in the United States, however the BPD's roots can be further traced back to the 18th century and Boston's appointment of an "Inspector of Police." In 1854, the department was closely organized and modeled after Sir Robert Peel's (London) Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
.
In 1871, the Boston Police Relief Association was founded.
1919 police strike
On September 9, 1919, the Boston Police went on strike, signaling a dramatic shift in traditional labor relations and views on the part of the police, who were unhappy with stagnant wages and poor working conditions. When Police Commissioner Edwin Upton CurtisEdwin Upton Curtis
Edwin Upton Curtis was an American attorney and politician from Massachusetts who served as the 34th Mayor of Boston in 1895...
refused to allow the creation of a police union, 1,117 BPD officers went on strike. The city soon fell into riots and public chaos as over three-fourths of the department was no longer enforcing public peace. Governor Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
intervened to quash further chaos. Coolidge announced that the police did not have the right to strike against the public safety and brought in the state national guard to restore order to Boston. The strike was broken, permanently, when Coolidge hired replacement police officers, many of whom were returning servicemen from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and the former officers were refused re-entry into the department. Ironically, the new officers hired in the wake of the strike received higher salaries, more vacation days and city-provided uniforms, the very demands the original strikers were requesting. The BPD strike set a precedent for further movements to stymie police unionization around the country.
Coolidge's intervention in the strike brought him national fame, which, in turn, led to his nomination as Harding's
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
running mate for Vice-President in the 1920 presidential election.
Historic firsts
First officer killed in the line of dutyOn October 18, 1857, at about 5:15 a.m., Boston Police Officer Ezekiel W. Hodsdon was doing his duty for the Boston Police Department walking his beat on the Corner of Havre and Maverick Street in East Boston. Officer Hodsdon was attempting to arrest two suspects for a burglary. A struggle ensued and one of the suspects was able to get behind Hodsdon and shoot the Officer in the head. Officer Hodsdon died about 10:00 A.M., becoming the first Boston police officer killed in the line of duty at 25 years of age. The murderers fled.
Men, women and children, came to view the body of the deceased officer. Thousands of people visited the station house during the forenoon, and were admitted, twenty or thirty at a time. Officer Hodsdon left behind his wife Lydia and infant son Ezekiel who was born just 13 days prior to his death. Officer Hodsdon was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett, according to Boston Globe Newspaper Reports on Oct 19, 1857.
A memorial was dedicated to Officer Hodsdon on October 18, 2007 on the Corner of Havre and Maverick Streets in East Boston.
First Irish Born Police Office in the United States
On November 3, 1851, the first Irish born Boston Police officer was appointed, Bernard "Barney" McGinniskin. His presence generated considerable controversy. The Boston Pilot wrote, "He is the first Irishman that ever carried the stick of a policeman anywhere in this country, and meetings, even Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall , located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain, and is now part of...
meetings, have been held to protect against the appointment." At the time, the police salary of $2.00 a day for the morning and afternoon beat and $1.20 for the night watch was nearly twice as high as the wages of laborers. City Marshal Francis Tukey resisted mayor John Prescott Bigelow's appointment of McGinniskin, arguing it was done at "the expense of an American," in accordance with anti-Irish sentiments in the city. On January 5, 1852, shortly before the newly elected mayor Benjamin Seaver
Benjamin Seaver
Benjamin Seaver was an American politician, serving as the thirteenth mayor of Boston, Massachusetts from January 5, 1852 to January 2, 1854....
(who had been supported by Tukey) took office, Tukey fired McGinniskin without giving a reason. After criticism in the press, Seaver reinstated McGinniskin, who remained in the police until the 1854 anti-Irish groundswell of the Know Nothing
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
/American Party movement, when in the words of the Boston Pilot, "Mr. McGinniskin was discharged from the Boston Police for no other reason than he was a Catholic and born in Ireland." McGinniskin became a United States inspector at the customhouse and died of rheumatism on March 2, 1868. McGinniskin is buried in the St. Augustine Cemetery in South Boston.
First African-American police officer
The Boston Police Department appointed Horatio J. Homer, its first African American officer, on December 24, 1878. He was promoted to sergeant in 1895. Sgt. Homer retired on Jan 29, 1919 after 40 years of service. He and his wife, Lydia Spriggs Homer, are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Brighton, MA. With Full Police Honors, the Boston Police Department dedicated a Gravestone in honor of Sgt. Homer’s Service on Saturday, June 26, 2010, at 10 a.m.
First female police officer
Irene McAuliffe was the daughter of the late Weston police chief and horse breeder Patrick McAuliffe and an accomplished horsewoman in her own right. She was sworn in as a mounted officer of the Weston Police Department in 1913 during the town's bicentennial celebration. She joined the District of Columbia Police Department in 1920, and in 1921 she was among the first six women to become members of the Boston Police Department's Vice Squad.
Busing callout
In 1974 and 1975, the BPD was involved in maintaining order during the public disturbance over court-ordered busingDesegregation busing
Desegregation busing in the United States is the practice of assigning and transporting students to schools in such a manner as to redress prior racial segregation of schools, or to overcome the effects of residential segregation on local school demographics.In 1954, the U.S...
, which was intended to racially integrate Boston's public school system. The protest of white citizens escalated into street battles in 1974, and in 1975 uniformed BPD officers were stationed inside South Boston High School, Charlestown High and other Boston public schools
Boston Public Schools
Boston Public Schools is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.-Leadership:The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the Boston School Committee, a seven-member school board appointed by the Mayor after approval by a nominating committee of specified...
.
Introduction of electronic fingerprints
On August 23, 1995, the BPD became the first police agency to send fingerprintFingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
images to the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
electronically using the newly created EFIPS (now IAFIS) system. The first set of fingerprints were for a suspect arrested for armed robbery. Within hours of the receipt of the fingerprints, the FBI determined that the suspect had a number of prior arrests, including one for assault with intent to kill.
Merger with Boston Municipal Police
On December 31, 2006, 31 Boston Municipal PoliceBoston Municipal Police
"Municipal Protective Service" is a police agency that patrols properties owned and controlled by the City of Boston. It is also known as the Boston Municipal Protective Services Department . Before the establishment of that agency, there was the Boston Municipal Police...
Officers were merged with the Boston Police. On January 1, 2007, the rest of the Munis were either laid off or transferred to the city's Municipal Protective Services, which provides security to the city's Property Management Department.
The merger was planned in mid-2006 by Mayor Thomas M. Menino. The merger was met with heavy protest from the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association. The BPPA's argument was that the Municipal officers were not qualified to be Boston police officers due to lack of training, political patronage, nepotism and the fact that the Munis were not civil service tested.
2007 Boston Bomb Scare
On January 31, 2007, 911 callers mistakenly identified small electronic promotions found throughout Boston and the surrounding cities of CambridgeCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
as possible explosives. Upon investigation by Boston Police and other agencies the suspicious devices turned out to be battery-powered LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
placards with an image of a cartoon character called a "mooninite" used in a guerrilla marketing
Guerrilla marketing
Guerrilla warfare is about waging small intermittent attacks on different territories of the opponent with the aim of harassing and demoralising the opponent and eventually securing permanent footholds....
campaign for Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters, a film based on the animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
(ATHF) on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
late-night programming block.
The BPD's handling of this incident has been criticized by some Boston residents and justified by others: "We all thought it was pretty funny," said one student. "The majority of us recognize the difference between a bomb and a Lite-Brite
Lite-Brite
Lite-Brite is a toy, created by Hasbro in 1967, which allows the user to create glowing designs. It is a light box with small colored plastic pegs that fit into a matrix of holes and illuminate to create a lit piece of art. Using the colored pegs the user can create designs from imagination or by...
," said another. One resident said that the police response was "silly and insane," and that "We’re the laughing stock." Another resident said that the device "looked like a bomb. I picked it up, pulled the tape off it, and there were batteries, two on the top and three on the bottom." The same devices had been distributed in nine other cities across the USA without provoking a similar reaction. The United States Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
praised Boston authorities "for sharing their knowledge quickly with Washington officials and the public."
"Occupy Boston" Movement
Beginning in September-October 2011, protesters assembled in Dewey Square as a show of solidarity with the Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
protest in New York. The Boston Police Department handled the presence of these protesters for ten days without a single arrest, and were hailed by members of the movement for their commendable execution of their duty. In the early hours of October 11, 2011, Boston Police and Transit Police moved into the protesters' secondary camp, arresting approximately 100 protesters. Protesters claimed there were incidents of excessive force by police, however, Mayor Menino denied the claim, explaining that the occupation's move into another section of the Greenway endangered public safety
Departmental organization
The Boston Police Department is organized into bureaus under the Office of the Police Commissioner. The Chief of Staff, media liaisons and the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) also operate out of the Commissioner's office.
The Bureau of Field Services (BFS) consists of the zone commands and police districts, the Special Operations Unit and Youth Violence Strike Force (gang unit). It is the largest bureau and its main responsibility is tactical patrol and crime prevention. Superintendent William Evans is the commander of BFS.
The Bureau of Investigative Services (BIS) consists of the Homicide Unit, Drug Control Unit, Family Justice Center and Forensic Science Division. Superintendent Bruce Holloway is the head of the BIS.
Other bureaus include the Bureau of Administrative Services, led by a civilian, Christopher Fox, and the Bureau of Professional Standards and Development, which encompasses the Training and Education Division, Internal Affairs and Anti-Corruption, headed by Superintendent Kenneth Fong.
The Boston Police rank structure is as follows:
- Police Officer/Detective
- Detective is a rank, guarenteed by a Legislative Act of 1986, providing that, in any department with more than 350 sworn members, the position of Detective is a rank not an appointment. Since 1986, Detectives have been "promoted" to the rank of Detecttive not "rated" as Detectives.
- Sergeant/Sergeant Detective
- Certain jobs within the department are designated as Detective Supervisor jobs (District Det. Supervisor, Sexual Assault Unit, Domestic Violence, etc.); thus, Detective Supervisors earn their "rating" after serving a certain amount of time in said role.
- Lieutenant/Lieutenant Detective
- Certain jobs within the department are designated as Detective Supervisor jobs (District Det. Supervisor, Sexual Assault Unit, Domestic Violence, etc.), thus, Detective Supervisors earn their "rating" after serving a certain amount of time in said role.
- Captain/Captain Detective
- Certain jobs within the department are designated as Detective Supervisor jobs (District Det. Supervisor, Sexual Assault Unit, Domestic Violence, etc.), thus, Detective Supervisors earn their "rating" after serving a certain amount of time in said role.
- Deputy Superintendent
- Superintendent
- Superintendent In Chief (This position is not always utilized)
- Commissioner (civilian)
Deputy Superintendents and above serve at the pleasure of the Police Commissioner and in the case of the Commissioner, the Mayor.
The Superintendent In Chief is Daniel Linskey, a career BPD officer.
Boston's former Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole
Kathleen O'Toole
Kathleen M. O'Toole is the Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate, set up to ensure that the resources available to the Garda Síochána are used so as to achieve and maintain the highest levels of efficiency and effectiveness in its operation and administration, as measured by reference to the...
was the first woman to serve in that position, until she resigned from her commissionership on June 30, 2006, to take a new position as Chief Inspector of the Inspectorate of the Irish national police force, An Garda Siochána. Upon her departure, Albert Goslin was appointed acting commissioner.
The Boston Police Commissioner is Edward F. Davis III, who was Chief of Police for the Lowell Police Department in Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. Prior to this appointment, Davis was known in Lowell for his effective community policing efforts. His appointment to the Boston Police Department brought in a renewed era of policing in the city of Boston.
Districts
District A-1- Serves- Downtown, Beacon Hill, Charlestown (investigations and community service) Chinatown, North End
- Station- 40 New Sudbury Street Boston, MA 02114
- Commanded by: Captain Bernard O'Rourke
District A-7
- Serves-East Boston
- Station- 69 Paris Street East Boston, MA 02128
- Commanded by: Captain Frank Mancini
District A-15
- Serves- Charlestown
- Station- 40 New Sudbury Street Boston, MA 02114
- Commanded by: Captain Bernard O'Rourke
District B-2
- Serves- Roxbury/Mission Hill
- Station- 135 Dudley Street Roxbury, MA 02119
- Commanded by: Captain John Davin
District B-3
- Serves- Mattapan/North Dorchester
- Station- 1165 Blue Hill Avenue Dorchester, MA 02124
- Commanded by: Captain Joseph Boyle
District C-6
- Serves- South Boston
- Station- 101 West Broadway South Boston, MA 02127
- Commanded by: Captain John Greland
District C-11
- Serves- Dorchester
- Station- 40 Gibson Street Dorchester, MA 02122
- Commanded by: Captain Richard Sexton
District D-4
- Serves- Back Bay/South End/Fenway
- Station- 650 Harrison Avenue Boston, MA 02116
- Commanded by: Captain Paul M. Ivens
District D-14
- Serves- Allston/Brighton
- Commanded by: Captain James Hussey
District E-5
- Serves- West Roxbury/Roslindale
- Commanded by: Captain James Hasson
District E-13
- Serves- Jamaica Plain
- Station- 3345 Washington Street Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
- Commanded by: Captain Paul Russell
District E-18
- Serves- Hyde Park
- Station- 1249 Hyde Park Avenue Hyde Park, MA 02136
- Commanded by: Captain Robert W. Ciccolo
Divisions
- Crime Laboratory Unit is part of the Forensic Technology Division. The Crime Lab provides services to the City of Boston, MBTA, and several of the colleges and universities in Boston.
- The Family Justice Division consists of the following units within the Boston Police Department:
- Crimes Against Children Unit
- Domestic Violence Unit
- Sexual Assault Unit
- Media Relations is a part of the Office of the Police Commissioner. Media Relations provides public information to local and national media outlets, conducts news conferences and interviews, and provides Department spokespersons to ensure that the public receives timely and accurate information about department-related activities, programs, services and personnel.
- Internal Affairs investigates incidents of alleged police misconduct; reviews complaint investigations to ensure that investigations are thorough and complete; analyzes all complaint data; and proactively assists in the development of needed training modules.
- The Boston Police Harbor Unit, led by the harbormaster, patrols the harbor daily to ensure that both commercial and recreational use of the harbor and its islands is safe. The unit also enforces maritime codes and environmental regulations as they apply to these waters.
- The Hackney Carriage Unit is responsible for regulating all taxis, sightseeing automobiles, horse and carriages, and pedicabs in the city of Boston. They are constantly striving to improve the safety, quality and professionalism of these vital industries.
- Boston Police Special Operations UnitBoston Police Special Operations UnitThe Boston Police Special Operations Unit is a specialized unit within the Boston Police Department responsible for combined duties involving Highway Patrol and traffic enforcement, crowd control, and special weapons and tactics services within the city.One unique feature of the unit is that the...
is a specialized unit within the Boston Police Department responsible for combined duties involving traffic enforcement, crowd control, and special weapons and tactics (SWATSWATA SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
) services within the city. One unique feature of the unit is that the Special Operations Unit primarily relies on the use of Ford Crown Victoria Police InterceptorFord Crown Victoria Police InterceptorThough the name has been officially in use since 1992, the 1978–1991 full-size LTDs and LTD Crown Victorias and 1992 updated body style used the "P72" production code designation for both fleet/taxi and police models, with the model itself being internally classified as S...
s and Harley-DavidsonHarley-DavidsonHarley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
s in their daily patrols. The use of motorcycles allows the unit to perform routine traffic enforcement; accompany parades, crowds, and visiting dignitaries; and to quickly travel to situations wherein the unit's SWAT skills are requested. Specialized trucks and support vehicles are also used to transport equipment and officers when needed.
Community policing
In the 1990s the police department resurrected an old idea, the Walk & Talk strategy. Police officers assigned to patrol carsPolice car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
are required to walk a particular area for up to 45 minutes or longer per their tour of duty. The establishment of other initiatives like "Same Cop Same Neighborhood" and "Safe Street Beat Teams" have contributed widely to the continued success of community policing. These types of direct patrol are used even more widely today under the leadership of Police Commissioner Davis. Under his command Patrol Supervisors and police officers who are normally assigned to administrative duties are encouraged to perform a foot patrol. This type of patrol assignment is referred to as a Code 19.
List of Boston Police Commissioners
- William H. H. Emmons: 1903-1906
- Stephen O'Meara: 1906-1918 *
- Edwin Upton CurtisEdwin Upton CurtisEdwin Upton Curtis was an American attorney and politician from Massachusetts who served as the 34th Mayor of Boston in 1895...
: 1918-1922 - Herbert A. Wilson: 1922-1930
- Eugene Hultman: 1930-1934
- Joseph J. Leonard: 1934-1935
- Eugene M. McSweeney: 1935-1936
- Joseph F. TimiltyJoseph F. Timilty (police commissioner)Joseph F. Timilty was an American law enforcement officer and politician who served as Boston Police Commissioner from 1936 to 1943.Timilty was appointed police commissioner by Governor James Michael Curley on November 25, 1936...
: November 25, 1936-March 27, 1943 - Thomas S. J. Kavanagh (Acting): March 27, 1943-June 5, 1943
- Joseph F. TimiltyJoseph F. Timilty (police commissioner)Joseph F. Timilty was an American law enforcement officer and politician who served as Boston Police Commissioner from 1936 to 1943.Timilty was appointed police commissioner by Governor James Michael Curley on November 25, 1936...
: June 5, 1943-November 25, 1943 - Thomas F. Sullivan: November 26, 1943-August 27, 1957
- James F. Daley: August 27, 1957-September 4, 1957 (Acting)
- Leo J. Sullivan: September 4, 1957-March 15, 1962
- Francis J. Hennessy: March 15, 1962-April 6, 1962 (Acting)
- Edmund L. McNamara: April 6, 1962-May 1, 1972
- William J. Taylor: May 1, 1972-November 1, 1972 (Acting)
- Robert J. DiGrazia: November 1, 1972-November 15, 1976
- Joseph M. Jordan: November 15, 1976-February 1, 1985
- Francis RoacheFrancis RoacheFrancis M. "Mickey" Roache is an American law enforcement officer and politician who is the Suffolk County Register of Deeds. He previously served as Boston Police Commissioner from 1985 to 1993 and was a member of the Boston City Council from 1996 to 2002....
: February 1, 1985-March 13, 1985 (Acting) - Francis RoacheFrancis RoacheFrancis M. "Mickey" Roache is an American law enforcement officer and politician who is the Suffolk County Register of Deeds. He previously served as Boston Police Commissioner from 1985 to 1993 and was a member of the Boston City Council from 1996 to 2002....
: March 13, 1985-June 30, 1993 - William J. BrattonWilliam J. BrattonWilliam Joseph "Bill" Bratton CBE is an American law enforcement officer who served as the chief of police of the Los Angeles Police Department , New York City Police Commissioner, and Boston Police Commissioner....
: June 30, 1993-January 10, 1994 - Paul F. Evans: January 10, 1994-February 15, 1994 (Acting)
- Paul F. Evans: February 15, 1994-November 14, 2003
- James Hussey: November 14, 2003-February 19, 2004 (Acting)
- Kathleen O'TooleKathleen O'TooleKathleen M. O'Toole is the Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate, set up to ensure that the resources available to the Garda Síochána are used so as to achieve and maintain the highest levels of efficiency and effectiveness in its operation and administration, as measured by reference to the...
: February 19, 2004-May 31, 2006 - Al Goslin: May 31, 2006-December 5, 2006 (Acting)
- Edward F. Davis III: December 5, 2006–Present
Demographics
By gender- Male: 87%
- Female: 13%
By race
- White: 68%
- African-American/Black: 24%
- Hispanic: 6%
- Asian: 2%
Fictional portrayals
The Boston Police Department has been portrayed in several prominent motion pictures including The DepartedThe Departed
The Departed is a 2006 American crime thriller film, fashioned as a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan...
, Gone Baby Gone
Gone Baby Gone
Gone Baby Gone is a 2007 American crime drama-mystery film directed by Ben Affleck and starring his brother Casey Affleck. The screenplay by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard is based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River and Shutter Island...
, Mystic River
Mystic River
The Mystic River is a river in Massachusetts, in the United States. Its name derives from the Wampanoag word "muhs-uhtuq", which translates to "big river." In an Algonquian language, "Missi-Tuk" means "a great river whose waters are driven by waves", alluding to the natural tidal nature of the...
, The Edge of Darkness, Blown Away
Blown Away (1994 film)
Blown Away is a 1994 action film starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones. It was directed by Stephen Hopkins.-Plot:Ryan Gaerity , an Irish terrorist, escapes from his cell in a castle prison in Northern Ireland....
, The Brinks Job, and The Town
The Town
The Town is a novel written by Conrad Richter in 1950. It is the third installment of his Awakening Land trilogy. The Trees and The Fields were the earlier installments in the series. The Town was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1951.In September 1966, Alfred A. Knopf reissued the...
. BPD is also featured in the television series Rizzoli & Isles
Rizzoli & Isles
Rizzoli & Isles is a TNT television series starring Angie Harmon as police detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. The one-hour drama is based on the Rizzoli & Isles series of novels by Tess Gerritsen...
, based on the books by Tess Gerritsen
Tess Gerritsen
Tess Gerritsen, M.D., is a Chinese-American novelist and retired physician. Her first name is really Terry; she decided to feminize it when she was a writer of romance novels.-Early life:...
, and the television series Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan
Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001 to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Medical Examiner's Office...
.
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts
- Boston Police Special Operations UnitBoston Police Special Operations UnitThe Boston Police Special Operations Unit is a specialized unit within the Boston Police Department responsible for combined duties involving Highway Patrol and traffic enforcement, crowd control, and special weapons and tactics services within the city.One unique feature of the unit is that the...
Further reading
- Francis RussellFrancis RussellFrancis Russell was an American author specializing in American history and historical figures. Russell is best known for his book on Warren G. Harding, The Shadow of Blooming Grove...
. A City in Terror: Calvin Coolidge and the 1919 Boston Police Strike (Boston: Beacon Press, 1975, ISBN 978-0-8070-5033-0).
External links
- Boston Police Department official web site
- Boston Police Department blog, BPDNews.com
- Boston Globe Article on the Merger
- The Police News Collection, Scrapbooks, 1961-1968 are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
- The Elmer V.H. Brooks papers, 1924-1998 (Bulk 1937-1968) are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
- The The Justice George Lewis Ruffin Society records, n.d., 1848-1853, 1885-1893, 1963-2005 (bulk 1984-2005) are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
- Boston Police Department Annual Reports since 1885 http://www.bpl.org/online/govdocs/bpd_reports.htm