Michael Cox, Once Beaten by Police, Named Boston Police Commissioner

Ann Arbor, Mi., Police Chief Michael Cox, who served as a Boston police officer for three decades, was named the new commissioner of the Boston Police Department, reports WCVB. Cox, 57, is a Boston native who joined the Boston Police Department in 1989 and served in several roles before rising to the rank of superintendent. “Chief Cox was raised right here in Roxbury and lived in Dorchester for years, and we are so glad to be welcoming him home,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. Cox said his vision and values for the city are in line with the mayor’s. “When we talk about things like diversity, equity and inclusion that is very important for the police department. The police department needs to look like the communities in which we serve,” Cox said.

Cox was working undercover in Boston in 1995 when fellow officers mistook him for a suspect in a fatal shooting and severely beat him. He was left bloody and beaten on the ground and said the officers later tried to cover it up. Cox spoke about how he was a victim of some "unconstitutional policing" and explained why he wanted to stay with the department. "I chose to stay because I believe in policing in a community-friendly way, and I know the men and women that I work with believe in that, too,” he said. District Attorney Kevin Hayden said, "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." Cox’s appointment culminated a six month search led by retired Justice Geraldine Hines of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The last commissioner of the Boston Police Department was Dennis White, who was active in the role for just two days in February 2021.