BOSTON (WHDH) - The sister of a fallen black Boston police sergeant says he would be working to bridge the divide between police and community members in a time where racism in policing is under the microscope.
Nicole Simmonds-Jordan is the sister of Sgt. Dennis “DJ” Simmonds, who died a year after being hurt in the 2013 shootout with Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Simmonds-Jordan, who is married to a Secret Service agent, said she thinks black officers can work within the system.
“There shouldn’t be a side to choose,” Simmonds-Jordan said. “I am always black first but I’m at a position where I think it’s time to speak out, or I think more black officers need that platform to speak out.”
Nicole said that motivated DJ to become a police officer after he was racially profiled by police when he was 14, walking to pick up his paycheck at a local grocery store in Randolph.
“They saw my brother and he, unfortunately – like many, many black men, all black men these days – have been targeted to fit the description of a criminal,” Simmonds-Jordan said. “They simply used their badges to intimidate him and that struck a fear in him that he was dedicated to conquer.”
Simmonds became a police officer to push back on that treatment, his sister said.
“He wanted to be able to protect our black brothers and sisters, for unfortunately a system of policing that was not designed … has not been designed to protect us. But DJ was gonna overcome that,” Simmonds-Jordan said, adding that he would still be trying to make connections as thousands protest the death of George Floyd and other black people in police custody. “He would have his hands reaching out – just as I am – for peace, for justice.”
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)