BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday morning that Michael Cox will be the new police commissioner for the Boston Police Department.
Cox, who comes from a four-year stint as the chief of the Ann Arbor Police Department, previously worked for the Boston Police Department for 30 years. Cox grew up in Roxbury.
In 1995, Cox working as an undercover officer when he was beaten badly by a group of police officers. He thinks the attack was racially motivated. He was also beaten up two other times, and brought a successful civil rights lawsuit against the department in the wake of those incidents.
Although he could have run from the department, he decided to stay and shape the department from within. He said he is not defined by that incident, but it helps him empathize with victims.
“Having grown up here, having served in all of the roles within the department and elsewhere, he is uniquely positioned to build the public safety infrastructure that Boston deserves and continue building on the community trust and community policing that our city has led on for decades,” Wu said.
“Police departments need to look like the communities in which we serve,” Cox said, garnering applause. “Police departments need to include every resident to hear how you want to be policed, what’s important to you, what you’re afraid of, what you need, so we can serve you better.”
Cox said he wants to get back to the city’s “community policing basics.” He added that he’s expecting a challenge as people re-emerge from their homes as the pandemic subsides, creating a “different Boston” than he remembers.
The new commissioner will replace former police commissioner Dennis White, who was fired over resurfaced domestic violence allegations from his ex-wife in June 2021 by then-acting Mayor Kim Janey just two days after he took office. White fought those charges, delaying the appointment of a new commissioner.
Superintendent-In-Chief Gregory Long has been the acting commissioner since then.
“Congratulations to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden in a statement. “His record of service is exemplary, and I’m grateful to have him as a partner in efforts to improve safety and wellbeing across Boston’s neighborhoods. The journey of Michael Cox from being beaten by fellow Boston Police officers to his appointment as Commissioner of the Boston Police Department is emblematic of criminal legal reform. I’m grateful to have such a strong partner in building a safer, more equitable Boston.”
“The ACLU of Massachusetts looks forward to working with newly-appointed Commissioner Michael Cox, Mayor Michelle Wu, and the City Council to create a Boston Police Department that works collaboratively with all of the communities it serves,” said Carol Rose, the executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “Improving the culture of this department will not be easy. But Boston now has the opportunity to realize transparency, accountability, and public safety for all people.”
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