Police Violence Victim Named Boston Police Commissioner
As a young member of the Boston police gang unit, Michael Cox was beaten by fellow officers who mistook him for a murder suspect. He'll be the department’s third Black commissioner.
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Michael Cox, who, as a young member of the Boston police gang unit, was beaten unconscious in 1995 by fellow officers who mistook him for a murder suspect, has been named Boston’s next police commissioner, reports the Boston Globe. He will be the department’s third Black commissioner when he takes up the post on Aug. 15. Cox will immediately confront the challenge of instituting reforms while maintaining the goodwill of a 1,600-strong force known for resisting change.
Cox’s appointment marks a striking new chapter for a department that once punished him for speaking out. He spent years fighting it in state and federal courts, demanding to know who harmed him and insisting that those who attacked him should no longer carry a gun and a badge. A strong advocate of community policing, the Roxbury native said he is determined to “revitalize” police efforts to rebuild relationships with residents, particularly in neighborhoods of color where mistrust of law enforcement often runs deep.
