BOSTON – A former Boston police officer who was beaten more than 25 years ago by colleagues who mistaken him for a suspect in a deadly shooting will be the new leader of the city’s police department, Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday .
The commissioner’s position is a return home for Michael Cox, 57, a native of the city who held various positions in the Boston Police Department before becoming chief of police in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 2019. Cox, who is black, is expected to take office. next month in Boston.
Cox told reporters that his appointment is an “emotional moment” for him. He promised to work to diversify the police department – which critics have long complained does not look like the city it serves – and to make sure officers feel supported in their work to protect the police. community.
“I think this is a very exciting time. I think the officers need someone to support them,” Cox told reporters Wednesday. “And I go to his biggest cheerleader.”
Cox joined the Boston Police Department in 1989 and rose in rank over the years, becoming part of the command staff and commanding several units of the force.
Cox was working undercover in January 1995 when his comrades mistaken him for a deadly shooting suspect and severely beaten him. Cox was left bleeding and hit the ground, and said officers then tried to cover him up.
Cox said it was a “difficult time,” but that he chose to stay in the department and improve things instead of moving away from a job he loved.
“Since then, in 1995, I have dedicated my life to making sure that both the Boston Police Department and the police in general have grown and learned … to make sure we have established structures and mechanisms. to make sure we never repeat. that kind of incident against anyone, “Cox told reporters.
Boston’s last commissioner, Dennis White, was fired last year after a tough battle to keep his job after allegations of domestic violence decades ago came to light. White was put on leave for the charges, which he denied, just days after his new job.