Next Boston Police Commissioner Might Not Be Named For Months
BOSTON, November 23, 2021 (State House News Service) – Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hopes to name a new commissioner of the Boston Police Department in early 2022, but not before soliciting feedback from neighborhoods throughout the city, she said Tuesday.
The new mayor also said she hopes that her administration will be able to publicly share more of the internal affairs file of Patrick Rose, Sr., a retired patrolman who has been accused of molesting several children. The records released during interim Mayor Kim Janey's tenure were heavily redacted.
"I would like us to see more of it," Wu said during an appearance on GBH's Boston Public Radio. Wu said she and the City Council must make additional appointments to the new city Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, which will take charge of reviewing those documents.
Asked about the search for a new head of the city's police department, Wu said, "I very much want to have public engagement lead this process."
The mayor said she planned to identify a couple of people to serve on a search committee, and will ask them to seek feedback and hold listening sessions in the community about what qualities her administration should be looking for in a commissioner. Wu said that public engagement process would be difficult to begin around the holidays.
"I imagine that will kick off in the new year, and I hope for a very thorough and comprehensive, but quick search after that in the next couple months," Wu said.
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